Lesson 15 of 33
The Skill of Leaving
5 min read•0/19 sections
What you don't play decides averages.
A great batter leaves 30–50% of new-ball deliveries in seamer-friendly conditions. Cheteshwar Pujara and Alastair Cook turned this into an art.
The leave forces the bowler to bowl straighter and into scoring areas.
Mid- judgement (length first, line second) is the foundation; train it with painted target zones in nets.
Technical Breakdown
19-section schemaFamous Players
Drills → real performancesCheteshwar Pujara
2010–presentTop-order batter (India)
Cheteshwar Pujara (Top-order batter for India, 2010–present). Best known for: leave specialist.
Test leave specialist
Alastair Cook
2006–2018Opening batter (England)
Alastair Cook (Opening batter for England, 2006–2018). Best known for: England's leading run-scorer.
England's leading Test run-scorer