Ian Bell, one of England’s greatest match-winners in the modern era, said the legendary former Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar had the best-ever straight drive in the business and he would like his ideal batsman to have that.
The former England batsman selected his ideal 360-batsman with the best shots from some of the greats of the game in the modern era. He is regarded as one of the finest batsmen to have represented England and his records speak volumes of his prowess.
Ian Bell: A Pleasure To Watch Sachin Tendulkar’s Straight Drive
Ian Bell’s perfect batsman had the best shots of Sachin Tendulkar, Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Rohit Sharma, Kevin Pietersen, and himself. Ian Bell, one of England’s greatest match-winners in the modern era, said the legendary Sachin Tendulkar had the best-ever straight drive in the business and he would like his ideal batsman to have that.
“Sachin Tendulkar (for straight drive), the best I saw on the field growing up. A pleasure to watch sometimes, hard to watch when you are on the field and chasing the leather,” Ian Bell said in an ESPNCricinfo video.
For the cover drive, Ian Bell had to make a tough decision among India captain Virat Kohli and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam but he went ahead with himself.
“Babar Azam like Kohli, has got a lot of time but I’d give it to myself,” he said.
The right-handed batsman Ian Bell had a solid defense and his ability to hit the ball all over the park made him a nemesis for many potent bowling line-ups. Riding on his abilities, Ian Bell tasted success across all formats and took England to numerous wins. In fact, his tally of 13331 runs is the fourth-highest for any England player in international cricket.
Ian Bell: Rohit Sharma’s Pull Shot Or Hook Shot Against Jofra Archer Difficult
The only other Indian batsman’s attribute which Ian Bell would like to have in his perfect batter is of India limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma’s pull shot.
“Watching him (Rohit) against Jofra Archer’s pace this winter. I know you could say it’s a pull shot or hook shot. But I have faced Archer before, that’s not an easy shot,” he said.
The right-hander, who scored more than 13000 runs for England across three formats, said the ideal 360-batsman should have the cut shot of his former captain Cook.
“Alastair Cook for cross-batted shots, pull and cut. Really hard to bowl at,” he said.
Ian Bell added that he would like his perfect batsman to have the reverse sweep like Ben Stokes and the scoop like Jos Buttler.
“He (Buttler) makes it so easy, like crazy. I have watched him doing practice at nets. Looks silly at times but he’s a genius,” said Bell.
Joe Root’s sweep and Kevin Pietersen‘s six straight down the ground complete Ian Bell’s perfect batsman. At last, the England batsmen talked about the player who smashed the best maximums down the ground. After thinking for a while, the 39-year-old went with his former teammate Kevin Pietersen.