The 'next great black Bradman' is back

LAKSHMIPATHY BALAJI is at a temple about 80 kilometres outside Chennai. Whether he's giving thanks for what could be the end of a painful period where injuries plagued him, or praying for good times, he won't quite say. Quick to chuckle and with a punch line never far away, a few minutes into the conversation it's clear Balaji hasn't changed much as a person.

August 2005, when he last played for India, seems a distant memory, and the time when he wowed crowds in Pakistan with his 1000-watt smile and theatrical six hitting, seems a different era. For a time, it was a genuine mystery - what exactly had happened to the Balaji?

The most painful phase of his life - and he won't talk about it, or anything else at the moment, as he prefers to keep his head down and get on with his life - began with osteisis pubis, a bizarre and uncommon injury to the pelvic bone. Then, just as that was healing, a knee problem came along. But it was the stress fracture to the back-undiagnosed for far too long-that did the most damage. Since the injury was not diagnosed, Balaji continued to bowl through it, and the crack to the section of the spine widened.

Not long ago, Bala had a choice. He could either allow his back to heal on its own, but this would mean the end of his cricketing career, or he could go under the knife and have a screw inserted, a painful procedure, and give himself another shot at playing. He could have sat back and considered his career done at 29 ODIs and 8 Tests, and there would have been opportunities for him in Chennai, where he remains as popular as ever. He chose the tough path.

The pain he's gone through - both physical and mental-and the times his mother Mallika and sister Vijaylakshmi have had to endure, wondering if their Bala would ever play cricket again, just did not seem to come to an end.
So, when he began playing first division cricket in Chennai earlier this year, and has since been picked up by the Chennai Super Kings IPL team, things have finally begun to look up.

"It was an easy decision to pick him," said VB Chandrasekhar, the former India batsman and selector who is in charge of picking the Chennai IPL squad. "Having lost Dinesh Karthik we needed someone who was homegrown and yet a star in his own right. That's Bala for you. He's bowling 10-12 overs a day, fielding has never been an issue as far as fitness is concerned and when he was picked for the state team, we felt bowling four overs in IPL T20 would not be difficult for him."

WV Raman, the former India batsman and currently coach and selector of the Tamil Nadu side, had nothing but praise for Balaji. "At the moment he must just be relieved that he can play again," he said. "Just a year-and-a-half ago, it seemed like this was a mere ambition. The way he has fought and kept himself going, mentally and physically, shows just how much character he has. It takes a lot to not give up at times like this, and I really can't see too many others who would have come back as he has. But still, he needs to take things step by step."

At a time when players who have just about got one season under the belt talk about playing for the country, Bala's story is a throwback to different times. He's not back just yet. But the "next great black Bradman" as John Wright, the then-coach fondly christened Balaji in Pakistan after packed crowds at the Gaddafi Stadium chanted Bala-ji! Bala-ji! after his six-hitting, might just be playing at a screen near you, sometime soon.

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