The advent of shorter formats of cricket (like T20 and T10) and the constant updates to the laws on field restrictions has forced batters to increase their array of shot-making. Batters have now begun to master shots which they might need to hit in extreme circumstances through their non-dominant wing. Two such shots are the reverse sweep and the switch hit.
Reverse Sweep
As the name suggests, the motion of the bat in this shot would resemble sweeping the floor. However, the ‘reverse’ indicates that the batter has swept it towards their non-dominant wing. This means that a right-handed batter would sweep the bat from left to right and target the off-side region to score runs. A reverse sweep can also be recognized by the characteristic inversion of the batter’s bat, the face of it points towards the off-side. Though used more often in modern times, the reverse sweep has been played as early as the 1920s.
Switch Hit
To play this shot, batters have to ‘switch‘ their stance. The batters do so by changing their grip over the bat and getting in a completely opposite stance to play the shot. From a right-handed batter’s point of view, the grip change is such that the upper hand goes at the bottom of the handle whereas the lower hand comes on top of it. Additionally, the batter completely changes to a left-hander batter’s stance to play the shot. A right-handed batter would thus hit a shot towards the leg-side in a switch hit.
The reverse sweep and switch hit require technical prowess for perfect execution. These shots are commonly played against spin bowlers. Against pace bowlers, this is relatively difficult to master as the pace of the ball often mistimes the batter’s shot.
In most cases, if the bowlers bowl down the leg-side in limited overs cricket, the umpire signals an illegal delivery in the form of a wide. However, if the batter preemptively gets into a stance of a reverse sweep or switch hit and goes on to miss the ball, then the ball is deemed legal. This is because for attempting an antithesis, the batters showcase an increased range of shot-making, thereby negating a ‘wide’ call.
Some of the most prominent players to execute the reverse sweep and switch hit are Kevin Pietersen, Sachin Tendulkar, and AB de villiers.
