For a batsman, zeroing in on the perfect bat is a meticulous process. The feel of the bat determines how every shot is played and so, a lot...
For a batsman, zeroing in on the perfect bat is a meticulous process. The feel of the bat determines how every shot is played and so, a lot of thought goes into finding the right weight, balance and pickup. Often, the obsession doesn’t end there. Batsmen can get quite quirky when it comes to bats. They could own ten bats of the highest quality, just to their liking, but still fixate on one particular piece of willow. Since that special bat brought them runs, they could perform every possible surgery on it to keep it going. It’s an all-consuming relationship that batsmen share with their bats.
In terms of cricket bats used by top players, Indian manufacturers have always faced an uphill battle. Indian cricketers, just like players from across the world, preferred bats made in England for the longest time. Manufacturers like Gray-Nicolls, Gunn & More, Sykes and Duncan Fearnley enjoyed a monopoly of sorts in international cricket even as the game spread to different countries in the 20th century.
“Back in the day, through to the 1980s, Indian cricketers surely had a fascination for English bats,” Jatin Sareen, Managing Director of SS, told Scroll.in.
Sanspareils Greenlands was, perhaps, the only Indian brand that managed to gain popularity, thanks to...
