Cricket has produced several legendary batters, but few have enjoyed the kind of admiration that Sachin Tendulkar received across the world. During his 24-year international career, Tendulkar amassed 34,357 runs and scored 100 centuries, finishing as the highest run-scorer and century-maker in international cricket.
While fans witnessed his batting brilliance on the field, there was plenty of preparation that went on behind the scenes. Tendulkar was extremely particular about his equipment, especially his bats, and paid close attention to how they felt in his hands.
The legendary batter recently gave fans a glimpse into his personal connection with his bats. Tendulkar shared a picture of himself working on one of his bats with a carpentry kit and revealed that he would often make adjustments himself until the bat felt exactly right.
“A bat was never just a piece of equipment for me. I knew how I wanted it to feel in my hands, down to the smallest detail. So I’d often bring out my carpentry kit and work on it myself, shaping and adjusting it until it felt right,” Tendulkar wrote.
Explaining why he remembers those moments so fondly, the former India batter said his bats were more than just pieces of equipment.
“I suppose that’s why I remember those little moments so fondly. They were never really about the bat. They were about making it my own,” he added.
Check his Instagram post here –
Why Sachin Tendulkar used a slightly heavier bat
Tendulkar was known for using a slightly heavier bat compared to many of his contemporaries. His preference for heavier willow can be traced back to his early days, when he started playing with a bat that belonged to his elder brother Ajit.
Since the bat was heavier than what most children his age used, Tendulkar gradually became comfortable with the additional weight. He eventually carried that preference throughout his professional career.
In his autobiography Playing It My Way, Tendulkar revealed that he was occasionally advised to switch to a lighter bat. However, he never felt completely comfortable with the change as his batting technique was built around the weight of his willow.
“I used a pretty heavy bat and I was sometimes encouraged to move to a lighter one. Again, I did try but I never felt comfortable, as my whole bat swing depended on that weight. When I was hitting a drive, I needed the weight to generate the power. It was all to do with the timing,” Tendulkar explained in his autobiography Playing It My Way.
For Tendulkar, comfort was ultimately the most important factor when it came to his equipment. He believed that once a batter becomes completely accustomed to a particular bat, there is little reason to make unnecessary changes.
“To me, the bat should be an extension of your arm, and if you’ve reached the stage where it’s become an extension of your arm, why do you need to change? What mattered to me most when I was batting was feeling comfortable. As long as I felt comfortable, it didn’t matter where I was playing or who I was playing against,” the Master Blaster added.
