While Ram Bhandari's modified bat gave Suresh Raina the wonder touch in Chennai, will the master blaster be hitting boundaries too remains to be seen

The Master blaster is all set to take on England in the city on February 27, assured that his old reliable bat is with him. Sachin Tendulkar has chosen to use the same bat with which he has scored 14 centuries to play with when he opens the innings with Virendra Sehwag.


The willow whisperer: Bhandari showing off the handle of Raina's bat,
which broke during trainingu00a0 before the practice matches. He fixed it and
handed it over to Raina following the warm-up match in the city.
Pic/Satish Badiger

And he has one man to thank - Ram Bhandari, the Bangalore-based bat modifier who customised Sachin's now-famous willow for him. Bhandari told MiD DAY that he gave Sachin three bats, weighing 1.36 kg for practice and a lighter bat (1.25 kg) for the matches.

"He wants to play with his trusted bat in the match," said Bhandari. He recalled the occasion when he gave Sachin the bat in 2007, which saw him return to form after a bad spell following his tennis elbow. Sachin went on to score a century in Malaysia Asia Cup.

Bhandari reconditioned Sachin's bat for the World Cup by pressing and threading the grip before the warm-up match in Bangalore, when India faced Australia, earlier this month. Bhandari will meet Tendulkar, who is expected in Bangalore today, while his teammates are already in the city.

"When I meet him, I will examine the bat and alter it if required," said Bhandari. "I think the modifications now will be minimal; I have already reconditioned it." Apart from Tendulkar, Bhandari has customised bats for Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virendra Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, and Zaheer Khan.

The handle of Raina's bat broke during training in Bangalore before the practice matches. Bhandari fixed it and handed it over to him following the Bangalore warm-up match in the city. Raina did wonders with that batu00a0-- hitting three consecutive sixesu00a0-- during the practice against New Zealand in Chennai.

"Bhandari has magic in his hands. The bats modified by him are perfect for individual batsmen and make their job easier when they are at the wicket," said Suresh Raina.