Master batman wishes luck to master blaster

Master stroke: Ram Bhandari charges anywhere between Rs 100
and Rs 500 for modification of a bat. File pic


Ram Bhandari, who claims to have modified 7 bats for Sachin Tendulkar just before the World Cup, wants to see him lead team India to victory

Ram Bhandari, a master bat-modifier, hopes to see his talent and expertise in the craft yield the desired results today, as the star players of Team India are using his handcrafted bats to take on Pakistan. Like any other cricket crazy fan, he is waiting patiently for the Indian team to lift the cup, and wishes the best to all the players, especially Sachin Tendulkar. Bhandari claims to have modified seven bats for Sachin Tendulkar just before the start of the tournament.



Preparing for IPL
He said that the manger of the Indian team called him yesterday informing that Sachin was expected in Bangalore on April 12 for the IPL matches and sought his services."Apart from checking the bats, I treat them using pressure and weight correction," said Bhandari. He told MiD DAY that he gave Sachin six bats, weighing 1.36 kg for practice and a lighter bat (1.25 kg) for the matches.
Bhandari works as a housekeeper in an apartment building, while bat modification is a part-time job. He is so good at it that several national players seek his services in customising bats to suit their needs. While he charges anywhere between Rs 100 and Rs 500 for modification of a bat, star cricketers pay him extra for his expertise.
Generous boys
Virat Kohli generously gave him Rs 1,500, though the basic charges for his services were just Rs 500. Virendra Sehwag paid Rs 1,000 and Robin Uttappa Rs 3,000 for having bats re-done for the upcoming IPL matches. Bhandari, who is quite busy these days with orders piling up in the backdrop of the IPL and KPL, said his two sons play cricket for the state in Under-16 and Under-14 teams respectively.
Some cricketers are generous enough to gift expensive bats to his kids, who are budding cricketers. Bhandari's elder son is playing with a bat gifted by Yuvaraj Singh, which costs around Rs 15,000. Robin, Uttappa and Shikhar Dawana have presented him one bat each.

A Massive hit
When Suresh Raina broke his bat while training in Bangalore before the World Cup practice matches, Bhandari repaired it for him following the Bangalore warm-up match. Raina did wonders with that bat and hit three consecutive sixes at the practice match  against New Zealand in Chennai.