The Virender Sehwag fan club keeps getting bigger with Sri Lankan hard-hitter Tillakaratne Dilshan also joining in, saying that the destructive Indian opener's rather unorthodox upper cut is a game-changing shot.
"I admire my former Delhi teammate, Sehwag who plays the 'Upar Cut' shot. He can change the game with that shot. A lot of other players are doing different things and are changing their game very fast, such as Dhoni's Helicopter Shot... It is a good thing for cricket," Sangakkara, who is part of Pepsi's 'Change the Game' campaign, said in a release.
Dilshan's signature shot – 'Dilscoop' -- would be rechristened 'Pallu Scoop' in the campaign. Dilshan said playing innovative shots is important for the game to remain entertaining for the spectators.
"Change the Game for me is all about evolution and innovation in what I do. I have changed a lot in my cricket in the last 2-3 years; I changed my position to an opener and started spending more time in the middle scoring a lot of runs. That changed a lot for my career," he said.
"The Dilscoop shot happened when I was playing in Durban. I played that shot and Gilchrist was near the stumps; he got upset and moved back. I felt that I should modify this shot as it could be helpful for me and my batting. After that, I started practicing the shot," he recalled.
{{/usCountry}}"The Dilscoop shot happened when I was playing in Durban. I played that shot and Gilchrist was near the stumps; he got upset and moved back. I felt that I should modify this shot as it could be helpful for me and my batting. After that, I started practicing the shot," he recalled.
{{/usCountry}}Dilshan said he started using it more often after he realised that bowlers were finding it difficult to counter.
"In the 20-20 World Cup, I started pretty well and was feeling really confident about playing the shot. The bowlers were struggling against my shot. I felt it was the right time to introduce a new shot for the cricket books and I developed the Dilscoop shot. After the 20-20 World Cup success, I felt more comfortable and started playing the Dilscoop shot often," he added.