Dilshan and the dilscoop

The dilscoop became synonymous with Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan during the 2009 ICC World T20. In an interview with Bivabasu Kumar in the Times of India Dilshan explains how the shot came about, why he has cut down on plating his trademark shot, Sri Lanka's chances in the upcoming World T20 and more.

How did you actually invent this shot?

I played a lot of tennis ball cricket in Sri Lanka and on the streets sometimes there’s not much option to hit on either side of the wicket. I targeted the spot over the ’keeper’s head as a convenient area to score runs from. First came the paddle scoop, where you make room to lift the ball over the fineleg fielder. But I found it becoming common. Then I worked hard on my shot to make it even finer to scoop it directly over the ’keeper’s head. It took me a couple of years to perfect the shot.