MS Dhoni's career-changing advice to Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant to improve hitting in T20s: Reports

T20 cricket comes with various challenges for the players. But if you are a batsman, then the challenges become harder because it is not always about scoring runs, but in fact, it is about scoring runs at a quicker pace. Modern-day T20 cricket has evolved significantly.

And we have started to see teams and batsmen prefer playing small cameos or impactful innings rather than sticking for a long time. That is why teams are planning in a shorter format these days. And to be at the top of this race, a batter needs to improve on his hitting ability and shot-making.

However, there are a few factors in hitting the ball from the get-go, and one of those is the type of willow a batter prefers to play with. With the evolution of cricket, we have seen different types of bats and every batter has his own choice when it comes to his bats.

That is how two Indian power-hitters have improved their games in recent times. As per some media reports, it is learnt that both Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant got advice from the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni to play with a more curved bat at the bottom to improve their power hitting.

In a report by the Times of India, the managing director of Sanspareils Greenlands (SG), a leading sports equipment manufacturer, said that MSD started playing with more curved bats before the ODI World Cup 2019 and now other players are also looking to use the same kind of bat.

The Indian star all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, who didn't have a great season prior to IPL 2022 and was also struggling with his injury, also worked on his bat's shape along with other important areas. On the other hand, the wicket-keeper batsman, Rishabh Pant, who has been in and out of the Indian T20 side, also asked MSD for help.

The World Cup-winning skipper advised him to play with a bat with a curve at the bottom. Furthermore, the SG managing director explained that these kinds of bats are more commonly used in shorter formats because players use these bats to hit the ball to different parts of the ground.

As per TOI, Anand said, "The round-bottomed bat enables them to have a more open stance that helps them to manoeuvre the bat easily from the word go. If one shaves the bottom and makes it round, the bat has a thicker base and has more meat at the bottom."