How do you hold cricket bat

The swinging of your cricket bat is determined by how you grip the bat and how you make contact with the ball. Although the conventional grip is considered perfect, it is significant for each of the players to find the hold or grip that works best for him or her.

As Donald Bradman, who preferred an unorthodox grip, probably the greatest best batsman ever, asserted that the player should develop own natural style, or allowed to do this if he doesn’t reveal any obvious error.

Conventional grip

• Put down the bat on the ground. Strike the ball with the flat side of the bat.
• The back side of the bat has a ridge, or back that runs down the middle. Face up it to the spine of the bat.
• Make a ‘V’ shape using your the thumb and forefinger of both the hands.
• Hold the hands in front of you, making the palms down.
• Your fingers on both hands should be grouped together, but for your thumbs, which extend to the sides to form the ‘V’ shape.
• Open the end of V shape towards the ground and maintain this ‘V’ shape as you reach for the bat.

Align your grip with the spine of the bat

When gripping the handle, keep your two ‘V’s facing towards the handle of the bat inflect the point of the ‘V’ to the meeting point of your thumb and forefinger meet in the line with the spine at the backside of the bat blade.

Always make sure that your hands are in the centre of the handle. Your dominant hand at the top should be nearer to the top of the handle. Your other hand, at the hand should be closer to the blade of the bat.
Setting of hands in the centre of the handle provides the best combination of power and control.