Indian batsmen to reduce weight of bats

Indian batsmen hope to add punch to their willows by reducing its’ weight on the gruelling trip to Ireland and England which began on Saturday.

India took on a depleted Ireland in a one-day international on Saturday to launch a trip which would square them up against South Africa in two one-day internationals, a solitary tie against Pakistan followed by three Tests and seven one-day games in England stretching from June to September.

The conditions in this part of the world necessitates that batsmen don’t commit themselves too much on the front foot and rather let the ball come on to bat in order to negate its’ last-minute movement.

Such a late movement is peculiar to English conditions because of overcast sky and lush, green grounds.

Hence from Sachin Tendulkar to Yuvraj Singh to VVS Laxman and a host of young batsmen in the squad have dramatically reduced the weight of their bats for the present twin tours.

Tendulkar, once known to wield one of the heaviest bat in world cricket, has reduced its’ weight by 35-45 grammes.

It’s a significant drop in weight for the master batsman who, in his prime used to wield a bat of 3 pounds (1.3 kg) but lately had been using a bat weighing 2.12 pounds.

Yuvraj Singh, a left-hander who similarly believes in going into the middle with a heavy bat, has cut down its’ weight by 77-85 grammes.

Same is true with Mahinder Singh Dhoni, a batsman cast in similar marauding mood, who has taken up his recent elevation as vice-captain in one-day squad by reducing the weight of his bat to almost 120 grams.

VVS Laxman doesn’t come into the picture till the Test series gets underway in England on July 19 but he has scaled down his bat by 90 grammes.

Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Kaarthick, the two young tyros, has reduced the weight of their bats by 70-90 grams.

Dilip Vengsarkar, chairman selectors, who was hugely successful in England during his playing days, says that adjusting the technique is of primary importance for Indian batsmen.

It has also not gone unnoticed that Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the West Indian batsman, was hugely successful in England recently despite an annoying habit of moving around in his crease.

Chanderpaul scored 446 runs at 148.66 average in the recent series and his success is largely attributed to his tendency to play the ball as late as possible.

Younger Indian batsmen would also benefit enormously from experienced men such as Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly who have enjoyed huge success in England.