Cricket
Best Cover Drive Players in Cricket History (Updated 2024)
The best cover drive in cricket history is hit by former India cricket team captain and 2011 World Cup winner Virat Kohli. Fondly known as the king of cricket for his phenomenal ability to score runs, whether it be setting up a total or chasing a target, Kohli is inarguably the best cover drive player in cricket.
What is A Cover Drive in Cricket?
One of the most classic and elegant strokes in cricket, a “cover drive” is a front-foot shot that directs the ball towards the cover fielding position on a cricket ground’s off-side. A cover drive is played when a batsman leans forward to hit the ball and dissects the space between mid-off and the cover fielder with the entire face of the bat.
Needlessly to say, one requires immaculate technique, flawless balance and perfect timing to execute this shot as one wrong step could send the ball into the air and result in a dismissal. A perfect cover drive exhibits a batsman's unparalleled talent and immense dexterity and it has been a lethal weapon for most top batters across the world. A cover drive is also one of the most visually appealing shots in cricket.
Best Cover Drives by Teams
| Serial No. | Cricket Teams | Players |
| 1. | India | Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma |
| 2. | Pakistan | Babar Azam, Younis Khan Saeed Anwar |
| 3. | Australia | Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, David Warner |
| 4. | England | Joe Root, Alastair Cook, Ian Bell |
| 5. | New Zealand | Kane Williamson, Martin Crowe, Ross Taylor |
| 6. | West Indies | Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dareen Bravo |
| 7. | South Africa | Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla |
Top 10 Players Who can hit the best cover drives
1. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli Celebrating//Getty Images
The player who is widely credited to have the best cover drive in the world, Virat Kohli has scored plenty of runs with this shot on the off-side. One of the fittest players in the world, Virat’s cover drive establishes the proper core strength as his body puts full strength on the front foot to send the ball racing away to the boundary. Widely believed to be the best cover drive player of all time, Kohli has so far amassed 8848 runs in Test cricket, and 13,848 ODI runs and sits as the highest T20I run scorer with 4037 runs to his name. His ODI average of 58.67 is the highest by any batsman who has played a minimum of 100 ODIs.
2. Babar Azam
Babar Azam Cover Drive in ODI
Another batsman whose cover drive shot is highly talked about is Pakistan’s Babar Azam. Often compared to his Indian counterpart, Babar Azam’s cover drive is one of the most beautiful visuals in cricket as he tends to play the ball more on the up. Making his international debut only in 2016, Babar Azam already scored 3898 runs in Tests, 5729 ODI runs and 3698 T20I runs.
3. Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar with the World Cup//Getty Images
A purist of the game, who became the greatest batsman in cricket history on the foundation of sound technique, Sachin Tendulkar also played one of the most delectable cover drives ever. While he might not be the best cover drive player in cricket history, Tendulkar’s cover drives were close to his signature straight drive, a shot that earned the Master Blaster an iconic status.
He mastered all the cover drive variations like square, back foot, and lofted as well as the drive against the spinners. The 2011 World Cup saw the Master Blaster hitting boundaries on the cover side by merely defending a delivery. The only batsman to tally 100 international centuries, Tendulkar retired with 15,921 Test runs and 18,426 runs in ODIs.
4. Mark Waugh
Mark Waugh Cover Drive//X.com
Not the most successful of the two Waughs that took the Australian cricket team to great heights in the 1990s, but Mark Waugh did possess a brutal cover drive amongst his arsenal of offensive strokes. He retired with 8029 Test runs and 8500 ODI runs in his bag with the 1999 ODI World Cup medal in his trophy cabinet.
5. Kumar Sangakkara
Kumar Sangakkara Cover Drive in Test//X.com
Very few left-handed batsman in world cricket could execute the cover drive like the former Sri Lankan captain. So trustworthy was Sangakkara of his cover drive that he almost waited for the fuller length deliveries and used his brilliant body balance to send the ball to the delivery. He ended his cricket career with 12,400 Test runs, 14,324 ODI runs and 1382 T20I runs. Playing at a time when the likes of Virat Kohli, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and others were dominating world cricket, Sangakkara holds some of the stupendous records like seven fifties in consecutive Test innings, fastest to 12000 Test runs, most consecutive ODI tons (four) and many more.
6. Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock//X.com
Inarguably the best South African batsman after AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock is yet another left-hander whose cover drive is widely revered by fans and commentators alike. It is as elegant as it can get as De Kock likes to wait for the ball before bending his knees slightly to send the ball to the boundary. The 2023 ODI World Cup saw the last of the wicket-keeper batsman as he retired with 3300 Test runs, 6770 runs in ODIs and 2277 T20I runs under his belt.
7. Kane Williamson
Kane Williamson Cover Drive in Test//X.com
One of the classiest batsmen in modern cricket, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is known for being a strong believer in textbook execution of cricket shots and his ecstatic cover drive is a result of the same. Known for his single-minded focus and unmatched grit, Williamson can play the ball through the eye of a needle. So far, he has garnered 8263 Test runs, 6810 ODI runs and 2547 T20I runs.
8. David Warner
David Warner//Getty Images
One of the most consistent batsmen ever produced by Australia, David Warner is known for his swashbuckling approach and cover drive has been one of his most effective shots ever. Retiring from the international side recently, Warner has won the 2015 ODI World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup, the 2021 World Test Championship as well as the recently concluded 2023 ICC World Cup. He has 8786 runs in Tests, 6932 ODI runs and 2894 runs in T20Is.
9. Brian Lara
Brian Lara Cover Drive in Test//X.com
The former West Indies captain was known for playing some of the most beautiful shots in cricket. Characterised by his typic shuffle while the bowler was in his run-up, Lara was able to get into ideal positions to play his strokes. His lofted cover drives were as much a treat for the eyes as were his sweep shots. The southpaw ended his cricket career with 11,953 Test runs and 10,405 ODI runs.
10. Damien Martyn
Damien Martyn Cover Drive in Test//X.com
One of the lesser talked-about Australian players, Damien Martyn was widely believed to have one of the best cover drives in the game with his timing almost unbeatable. His success as a Test batsman depended largely on his prolific cover drives as he ended his career with 4406 Test runs and 5346 ODI runs.
Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam: Who plays the better Cover Drive?
The fundamental difference between Virat Kohli’s cover drive and Baba Azam’s is the use of power. The Pakistani batsman’s cover drive comes with the player cemented at the crease, which forced him to rely on a lot of timing and technique. Kohli, on the other hand, has a back-and-cross movement that allows him to thump the ball through the covers with great force.
Kohli’s cover drive is a reflection of his on-field aggression and the batter makes it a point to punish the bowler in a manner that they don’t bother him with the nagging delivers that move away from him. Compared to Azam, whose bat is straight-faced while playing the cover drive, Kohli’s bat becomes angular while playing the shot that has often seen the batter edging catches to the slip. Babar Azam, on the other hand, gets dismissed owing to his lack of foot movement.
While Azam’s technique might give him success against the speedsters, the Pakistani can’t generate much power against spinners. Kohli, on the other hand, tends to twist his powerful wrists to get boundaries against the spinners as well.
Babar Azam and Virat Kohli//Getty Images
Kohli’s cover drive is primarily a Delhi thing, where batters tend to thrust shots to the boundaries rather than timing and technique, which is something found in Mumbai batters like Sachin Tendulkar or Rohit Sharma. Azam’s cover drive resembles the latter.
As per stats from three years back, Kohli averaged almost 75 runs through his cover drives, scoring around 18,8 per cent of his runs with a control percentage of 86.3. While Azam averaged only 49.3 per cent through his cover drives, he made more runs (21%) through this shot with an impressive control of 91.5 per cent on this shot.
Kohli vs Tendulkar | Cover Drive
Jarrod Kimber explains how the main difference between Kohli's and Sachin Tendulkar’s cover drive shots is more about purpose than anything. While Kohli plays a cover drive to get off strike and use the channel on the on-side, Tendulkar used this shot as an attacking tool.
The Little Master’s cover drive wasn’t his channel play and therefore he used it fewer times than Kohli. Tendulkar used to move across and flick the deliveries or take refuge in his safer straight drive.
Analysing Virat Kohli’s Cover Drive vs Fab Four
Until a few years ago, cricket’s fab four comprised Kohli, England’s Joe Root, Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson. And Kimber had observed that all their cover drives went at different parts of the on-side.
While the former Kiwi captain Williamson’s cover drive remained finer, Root chose a more classic option to push it towards the point and take singles. Smith played in quite an unconventional manner where he would move across the crease to turn the ball away, while Kohli directed it towards the cover with power.
Virat Kohli of India in action//Getty Images
Explaining their purpose, Kimber states that while Kohli uses his cover drive to defend and look for runs, Williamson and Root look for a dot ball with a dead bat. However, he concluded that Kohli’s cover drive showed the most positive intent that forced the bowlers to alter their length.
To conclude, there is no ideal way to play cover drive. While some players look brilliant while playing this shot, it doesn’t necessarily make them better cover drivers as their average number of runs coming from that shot is what matters to the team and the match. However, cricket experts and purists would argue that technique triumphs all.
FAQs
The definition of cover drive in Hindi is “कवर ड्राइव में बल्लेबाज ऑफ साइड पर गेंद को नीचे की ओर खेलते हैं।”
Yet again, Virat Kohli is considered to be the no 1 cover drive player in the world. Not only has he been the best best cover drive player in India over the past decade but the best the country has ever produced.
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An M.A. in English Literature, Subhayan is an experienced journalist and sports writer. Having worked as a journalist at Hindustan Times, Subhayan covered diverse beats including sports, education, and health, showcasing his versatility and in-depth understanding of various subjects.