A Train Journey
The Indian team's bat handyman
Ram Bhandari is the team's go-to man for bat-related problems.
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali | Mail Today – Sat 1 Sep, 2012 11:54 AM IST
Two days before the India-New Zealand Test began here on Friday, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin and a few others got their willows repaired by India’s most trusted one-man bat repair shop.
While Tendulkar’s new bat turned out to be slightly longer than the permissible length, Gambhir had two of his bats repaired by Ram Bhandari, the most trusted 'Bat Doctor’ of Indian cricketers.
"All batsmen and bowlers of the Indian team come to me to get their bats repaired. When Sehwag recently returned from Sri Lanka, he stopped over in Bangalore for a day and told me about what he required in his bats,” Bhandari disclosed to MAIL TODAY.
Left-handed Raina wanted a thick bat handle and 52-year-old Bhandari duly altered it to suit his grip. Off-spinner Ashwin is also very particular about his willow.
He too got his bat repaired by the Bangalore-based 'Bat Doctor’. Cheteshwar Pujara, who made a fine century in the first match on his comeback to the Test team, got the balance of his bat checked before the match began on August 23 in Uppal, Hyderabad. "I checked the balance and weight of his bat. He uses a single handle grip,” Bhandari told MAIL TODAY.
While Pujara had said that he uses bats weighing 1170-1180 gms – he admitted he didn’t know for sure – Bhandari, who turned to repairing bats eight years ago, said that his bat weighs 1100 gm.
However, Tendulkar could not locate Bhandari to have his bat’s length adjusted. "He turned to an employee of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and he cut the toe as per instructions from the maestro. The bat was just about half-an-inch longer [than the length specified by the Marylebone Cricket Club, the guardian of cricket rules],” a source told Mail Today.
MCC rules state that "the length of the bat, when the lower portion of the handle is
Ram Bhandari is the team's go-to man for bat-related problems.
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali | Mail Today – Sat 1 Sep, 2012 11:54 AM IST
Two days before the India-New Zealand Test began here on Friday, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin and a few others got their willows repaired by India’s most trusted one-man bat repair shop.
While Tendulkar’s new bat turned out to be slightly longer than the permissible length, Gambhir had two of his bats repaired by Ram Bhandari, the most trusted 'Bat Doctor’ of Indian cricketers.
"All batsmen and bowlers of the Indian team come to me to get their bats repaired. When Sehwag recently returned from Sri Lanka, he stopped over in Bangalore for a day and told me about what he required in his bats,” Bhandari disclosed to MAIL TODAY.
Left-handed Raina wanted a thick bat handle and 52-year-old Bhandari duly altered it to suit his grip. Off-spinner Ashwin is also very particular about his willow.
He too got his bat repaired by the Bangalore-based 'Bat Doctor’. Cheteshwar Pujara, who made a fine century in the first match on his comeback to the Test team, got the balance of his bat checked before the match began on August 23 in Uppal, Hyderabad. "I checked the balance and weight of his bat. He uses a single handle grip,” Bhandari told MAIL TODAY.
While Pujara had said that he uses bats weighing 1170-1180 gms – he admitted he didn’t know for sure – Bhandari, who turned to repairing bats eight years ago, said that his bat weighs 1100 gm.
However, Tendulkar could not locate Bhandari to have his bat’s length adjusted. "He turned to an employee of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and he cut the toe as per instructions from the maestro. The bat was just about half-an-inch longer [than the length specified by the Marylebone Cricket Club, the guardian of cricket rules],” a source told Mail Today.
MCC rules state that "the length of the bat, when the lower portion of the handle is