In love with their willows, indeed!

By Vijay Lokapally

MUTARE, MAY 31. As he stands admiring the willow, Sourav Ganguly presents a picture of a man madly in love with his bats. He admits he is indeed.

He has his bats lined up, and one by one, is testing strokes, knocking the ball in the air. He feels the grip, takes his stance to check the balance and again knocks the ball. The process continues.

Spotting V.V.S. Laxman, the captain summons the new batting star and puts him on the job. Laxman repeats the process for the next few minutes and both come to the conclusion that the range of bats that Ganguly is carrying on this tour is a perfect collection.

Both use the same brand, SS, and both revel in selecting the best. Made-to-order bats have been the trend these days, with Sachin Tendulkar having a unique blend which fetches him tons of runs.

Obviously bat happens to be the most valuable possession of a batsman but these days they carry more than two or three as was the tradition in the old days. Former all-rounder Kapil Dev was pleasantly surprised at the number of bats cricketers like Tendulkar, Ganguly and Rahul Dravid carried on tours. ``I never had such collection,'' he had confessed on the tour to Australia.

Talking of bats, Ganguly remembers fondly his first possession. A bat which he snatched from his brother Snehasish. ``It was a lovely bat and lasted quite some time,'' recalls Ganguly.

Tendulkar too did not have to buy his first bat, which lasted his entire debut season. He had grabbed it from his brother, Ajit. ``It was a good willow and had good stroke,'' says the master, who like Ganguly, carries six to seven bats when on tour.

Ganguly and Tendulkar, for that matter most batsmen, have their own specifications. ``The grip and weight matter a lot,'' informs Ganguly. In the case of Tendulkar, it has been different. ``I've never changed the grips of my bat. The weight too has remained the same,'' says Tendulkar.

Ganguly prefers heavy ones when playing in India. ``The ball comes on slowly.'' Which is not the case overseas where Ganguly carries bats of lesser weight. Tendulkar makes no changes in the weight at all.

What do they do with so many? ``Some break and become useless. In my case, the bat often breaks from the handle and that's why my manufacturer takes care to ensure the handle is firm. I can't think of a specific reason why it breaks from the handle only,'' says Ganguly.

What of Tendulkar? ``Of course they break and they break at different spots. You can't help it. With the amount of cricket we play it's bound to happen. One has to learn to take extra care of one's better bats.''

What happens to bats which do not break? Tendulkar gives them away to the needy players. ``To young cricketers who look good to me but can't afford to buy one. I give them some of my bats or try to organise some for them (because of weight),'' says Tendulkar, who is known to give clothing and other equipment to promising players in Mumbai.

Ganguly too loves helping young cricketers. He sponsors a full kit for the best player in the Bengal under-16 and under-19 league. ``I give my bat too if I find there's a good cricketer in need of.''

As Ganguly packs his bats neatly, Laxman watches, a naughty smile lighting up his face. ``Dada (Ganguly) gets the best bats. The manufacturer gives the best to him. India captain you see.'' Ganguly gives him a mock stare, and quips ``you're the new star Lacchi. Soon you'll get the best ones.'' in the dressing room,

Tendulkar is busy, tending his bat, grazing the rough edges with a blade. You have to take care of your willow to get the best out of it indeed.

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