Cricketers and their bats are very famous in the cricketing world. From Sachin Tendulkar-fame MRF cricket bats made from English willow to Bellingham & Smiths cricket bats used by the South African cricket team, bats are really very important for making it big on the cricket field.
That’s what makes Bengaluru-based Ram Bhandari so special. Famous as a bat doctor, Bhandari uses carpentry techniques on bats to repair and modify them. Bhandari was trained in carpentry during his young age and later on modified his skills to repair cricket bats.
Unique Skills Attracts Elite Clients
The skills that Ram Bhandari has developed are quite unique. And hence not surprisingly, the bat doctor has a long list of top-class international cricket players coming to him to take care of their armor. The talent of Bhandari is so special that the thing that his workshop is located in a remote lane at the heart of Uttarahalli in a tiny hole does not discourage big cricketers from coming to him.
From Indian legends like MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar to international players like Ricky Ponting all have been his clients. Bhandari says, “This year for the World Cup, I have worked on Indian team captain Virat’s (Kohli) bat. He prefers that the handle of the bat is oval rather than circular in shape. I also worked on Rohit Sharma’s bat for the World Cup.”
Earning Respectable Earning By Working On Bats
Ram Bhandari hails from Bihar and shifted to Bengaluru in 1979 after doing a few odd jobs. Bhandari says, “Once I came to Bangalore, I had to find a way to sustain myself. I got married and had kids also, whom I had to take care of. I used to make adjustments to my own bats earlier, so soon began doing that for local players and it worked out.”
His first client was Rahul Dravid who came into contact with Bhandari during Ranji Trophy. After that many other celebrated cricketers followed including Sachin, Kohli, Rohit, and Dhoni. Apart from working on bats of the cricketers for the Indian Premier League (IPL), he also worked for the players during Celebrity Cricket League (CCL). Ram Bhandari has perfected his craft of carpentering bats which earns him decent earnings.
