The Lofted Drive: When and How Batsmen Hit Over the Infield
The lofted drive is a batting shot where the batsman intentionally plays the ball into the air — over the fielders in the infield — to score a boundary or six. Unlike the grounded drive (where the goal is to keep the ball along the ground), the lofted drive aims the ball between mid-on and mid-off at a height that clears the infield. It is a high-risk, high-reward shot used to attack good-length deliveries that cannot be safely driven along the ground. Sachin Tendulkar's lofted drive over extra cover is one of the most celebrated shots in cricket history.
Lofted drive definition: the lofted drive is a variant of the straight drive or off drive where the batsman intentionally angles the bat face upward at the point of contact — hitting the ball into the air rather than along the ground. The ball is hit in the arc between mid-on, straight, mid-off, and cover point — typically clearing the infield for a boundary or, with more power, carrying over the ropes for six. The lofted drive is used when: the ball is full-pitched and the gap is present; standard grounded drives are being stopped by infield fielders; or the batsman specifically wants to score a boundary against a well-set defensive field.
When to Loft
When the lofted drive is appropriate: the lofted drive is most appropriate in limited-overs cricket (T20 and ODI) where boundaries are required consistently to achieve competitive totals. In Test cricket, the lofted drive is rare — the risk of a caught-at-long-on or caught-at-long-off dismissal is usually not worth taking when the batsman has time to build their innings. In T20 cricket, the lofted drive over the infield is a core shot: when the fielding team sets a deep mid-on, deep mid-off, and long-off to protect boundaries, a full ball in the arc between those fielders (hit between them with good height clearance) is a legitimate boundary opportunity. The lofted straight drive directly over the bowler's head is the cleanest version — it requires the ball to be perfectly struck to clear mid-off.
Technique of Lofted Drive
Lofted drive technique: (1) Ball selection — the lofted drive is most safely played against full-pitched deliveries (at or beyond good-length) where the bat can come through the ball at the correct height; shorter deliveries are riskier to loft because the bat must rise too steeply; (2) Front foot placement — the front foot moves toward the ball (same as a conventional drive) but the body weight distribution is slightly more back than a grounded drive — leaning back slightly helps generate the upward trajectory; (3) Bat angle at contact — the bat face is angled upward (toward the sky) rather than pointing straight down the pitch; the angle of the bat face relative to the ground determines the angle of the lofted ball — more upward angle = higher trajectory (more likely to clear the boundary rope); (4) Follow-through — the bat follow-through swings toward the target arc (between mid-on and mid-off) rather than straight down the pitch.
Risk of Lofted Drives
Risks of the lofted drive: the lofted drive's primary risk is the top-edge or miscued hit that sends the ball straight up in the air for a caught dismissal. Fielders at long-on, long-off, or deep extra cover specifically wait for the lofted drive to be mishit. A ball struck with good timing clears the fielder; a ball struck slightly off-centre (bottom edge, top edge, or wide of the intended direction) goes to one of these fielders. On a spinning pitch, spinners specifically bowl full and slightly outside the hitting arc to invite the lofted drive — the extra turn on the pitch makes the ball deviate from the batsman's expected contact point, increasing miscue risk. The margin for error on a lofted drive is significantly smaller than on a grounded drive — which is why it is used selectively rather than as a primary scoring shot.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lofted drive in cricket?
A lofted drive is a batting shot where the batsman intentionally hits the ball into the air — over the infield fielders — rather than along the ground. The standard drive aims to keep the ball on the ground through gaps in the field; the lofted drive angles the bat face upward at contact to hit the ball over the infield (typically over mid-on, straight, mid-off, or extra cover) for a boundary or six. The lofted drive is used in limited-overs cricket (T20 and ODI) when batsmen need boundaries and cannot find gaps along the ground against a well-set deep field. In Test cricket, the lofted drive is rarer because the risk of a caught dismissal is not justified when the batsman has time to build their innings through grounded strokes. Sachin Tendulkar's lofted drive over extra cover is considered the archetypal version of the shot.
How do you hit a lofted drive in cricket?
Hitting a lofted drive requires specific technical adjustments from a conventional grounded drive: (1) Target a full delivery (at or beyond good length — closer to your feet) as these are easiest to hit upward; (2) Place the front foot toward the ball (forward press); (3) Adjust body weight slightly back (compared to a grounded drive's forward lean) to facilitate an upward swing path; (4) Angle the bat face upward at contact — the bat face should be angled between 20-45 degrees above parallel to the ground (more angle = higher trajectory); (5) Swing the bat through the arc toward the target gap (between mid-on and mid-off for a straight lofted drive; between mid-off and cover for the lofted off-drive; between mid-on and the boundary for the lofted on-drive); (6) Keep the head still and watch the ball all the way to the bat — timing is critical; an off-centre hit sends the ball to a fielder.
Why do batsmen hit the ball in the air in cricket?
Batsmen hit the ball in the air (lofted shots) for several reasons: (1) Scoring boundaries against deep fields — when the fielding team places 7-8 fielders on or near the boundary (preventing easy ground-level boundaries), lofting the ball over the infield (clearing the close fielders but landing before the boundary fielders) is a boundary option that the deep field cannot prevent; (2) Over-the-infield sixs — hitting the ball over the boundary rope for six from a lofted shot (particularly the lofted sweep for six over mid-wicket, or the lofted straight drive for six over mid-off) is a primary scoring route in T20 cricket; (3) Changing the game — after a period of tight scoring, hitting a lofted boundary changes the scoring rate and puts psychological pressure on the bowling side; (4) Exploiting specific gaps — if long-off is protecting the off-side boundary but there is no mid-off and no extra cover in the deep, a lofted drive into that gap is a legitimate scoring opportunity.