SRINAGAR, FEB 17: Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar accompanied by his family Saturday visited a bat manufacturing factory in Pulwama besides having tea at a local’s home.
On the way to Pahalgam, Sachin along with his wife Anjali Tendulkar and daughter Sara Tendulkar stopped and visited MJ Sports Factory at Chersoo Pulwama on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Owner of MJ Sports Mohammad Shaheen said they were surprised to see Sachin Tendulkar at their factory. “We were busy with our work when we saw Sachin and his family near our gate. The cricket legend told us that he initially played with Kashmir willow bats and wanted to see how they are manufactured here. After trying out a few shots, he expressed satisfaction with the quality and said he had also come to compare Kashmir willow bats with English willow bats. He assured us that he would promote Kashmir willow bats,” Shaheen said.
The legendary cricketer spent around 30 minutes in the factory and signed a bat after which he and his family had tea at a local’s home.
A huge crowd of fans also assembled around the factory and later at a local’s residence where he had tea.
Then he paid a visit to Martand Temple in Mattan before proceeding to Pahalgam. Furthermore, he conveyed his best wishes to Khelo India’s fourth edition, scheduled to kick off on February 21. He motivated the athletes participating, underlining his dedication not just to cricket but also to the advancement of sports nationwide.
The legendary cricketer’s visit to the bat manufacturing factory according to owners has raised a hope of promotion of Kashmir willow bats across the world.
During last year’s ICC men’s cricket World Cup, many cricketers played with bats made of Kashmir willow.
There are 400 bat manufacturing units in Kashmir earning around Rs 300 crores annually. “Bats are made of English and Kashmir willow. However, Kashmir Willow had less representation in the international bat market. If Sachin Tendulkar promotes Kashmir willow bat, it will be a huge boost to our bat industry,” Adnan Ahmad, a manager of one of the bat manufacturing factories, said.
He said the willow trees from which bats are made take around 15 years to reach maturity. “After which it is cut down and taken into bat factories and cut into logs and then bat-clefts are made out of them. Then craftsmen give it the shape of a bat,” he said.
In 2022, player of the UAE Junaid Siddiqui was able to hit the biggest six (109 metres) in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia with a bat made of Kashmiri willow which proved that Kashmir Willow is an alternative to English willow.
Abdul Hamid, a Kashmiri botanist said both English and Kashmir willow are made from the same tree called Salix alba. “The best places to grow this tree are England and Kashmir because of weather conditions like rainfall, soil nutrients, moisture, and climate changes. They are solid and durable, with a high rebound quality and low moisture content. English willow bats shine brighter than their Kashmiri counterparts because the English willow is lighter than the Kashmir willow,” he said.
Asked how Salix alba which was grown in England came to Kashmir, he replied, “Over a hundred years ago when Britishers ruled India, seeing the similarities of climate, they planted Salix alba saplings in Kashmir. This is the reason Kashmir willow shares similar characteristics with English willow.”
