Batting Stance

Gap between the feet

How wide apart will you keep your feet when you settle down in your stance?

This depends on the comfort of the batsman and his style of play. Krishnamachari Srikkanth, was well known for his ‘feet wide apart’ stance. He was of the opinion that by keeping his feet apart he did not have to move them much, front or back, while negotiating deliveries. He could play shots with hardly any movement of his feet off short balls as well as those pitched up to him. He relied on his good eye or judgment of line and length. He used to hit the ball through the line and was effective against bowlers who were straighter in the air. But any bowler who could swing the ball late, or drift the ball in the air, troubled him. But that stance worked for him and his record at the highest level speaks for itself.

The distance between the feet, in the stance, should be such that it helps the batsman move to the front foot or the back foot quickly, and at the same time does not throw him off balance. Too wide a gap between the feet will mean that the batsman will not be able to go right back and this could hamper his back foot play. Moreover the batsman will find less time to get into position for the strokes that he intends to play. The distance between the feet also depends on the height of the batsman. Taller batsmen can keep their feet wider apart than the shorter ones to get the same result.