MS Dhoni's 'helicopter' shot copied by Kevin Pietersen?

Courtesy: Twitter (‏@CricketAus)

New Delhi: India's ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is credited for having invented the 'helicopter' shot.

Known to give very less importance to technique, Mahi's shot took cricket fans by surprise when he first showcased the shot soon after his entry into the national side.

When asked about the 'helicopter' shot, Dhoni said it was a technique he picked up while playing tennis ball cricket in his hometown of Ranchi.

On Wednesday, England discard Kevin Pietersen played another version of the shot during his 27-run knock for KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge.

KP hit a six over fine leg, from a waist-high full toss from outside off stump.

Outrageous helicopter shot by @KP24!! #RAMSLAM pic.twitter.com/1IUxLDnZnX

— CricketNow (@cricketnow_) December 10, 2015

Dhoni's 'helicopter' shot was often executed to negotiate full length balls.

Though Pietersen played it off a full toss, his final flourish was eerily similar to that of the Indian skipper.

Interestingly, the 35-year-old didn't know how to describe the shot he had played.

"What shall we call this shot? Best name wins my shirt from Saturday's final," he asked his followers on Twitter.

Snapslice, the kevincopter, the fly cast, boomerang shot, the violator, the KP drone strike, the light saber and the carousel were some of the terms coined by his fans for the shot.

However, KP's personal favorite so far as been Chinook. But the competition is still open and a winner will be announced by him on Friday.

The maverick batsman is known to have a penchant for flamboyant shots.

When he first played the switch hit, the international cricket community was deeply divided over the legitimacy of the shot.

In the end, ICC accepted MCC's report that KP's version of the traditional reverse sweep was in fact legal.