Balaji: The new, improved version

But Bala, as his teammates call him, has definitely worked on his bowling. When he debuted in Tests, Balaji was noted as a talented bowler, but no one wanted to back him a long-term option. Pundits said that he bowled from far too wide off the crease and would never get an lbw verdict. For others, he was far too predictable, as his only delivery came into the batsmen.

That criticism stung Balaji, who has since worked on this aspect of his game. ‘‘It was not a question of reacting, just working on my weakness. I saw a few of my videos and decided that I had to work on it. Now I get much closer to the stumps and also get lbws,’’ the Chennai youngster says.

Another flaw with Balaji’s bowling — a glaring one — was that his feet pointed in opposite directions when he landed after the leap. Bruce Reid — India’s bowling coach in Australia recently — worked on the problem with Balaji, and the difference is startling. ‘‘They were little things, but made a big difference. He (Reid) spoke mostly about the mental preparation, and that worked.’’

The Australian tour itself was a nice experience with the bounce the wickets offered. But this Pakistan tour is an altogether different one. To Balaji, all this contributed to the learning process, a must if one wants to be an all-round bowler in international cricket. He says, ‘‘Conditions here are similar to in India. You need to have a bit of a variety in your bowling if you want to succeed in such conditions. The slower one, for instance, is an important weapon. With no lateral movement off the wicket, the dryness of the wicket too may hurt you at times.’’

The other thing, a common element in the new Team India, is mental toughness, and Balaji feels he has improved in that aspect as well in recent times: ‘‘Just keep hitting the deck hard and keep running in each ball. never drop your head,’’ says Balaji.

But Pakistan 2004 is not just about Balaji the bowler. It has also been about Balaji the batsman. If you haven’t heard about it yet, just check with Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Sami, who were both hit for sixes in the ODI series by Balaji. ‘‘I never worked hard on my batting. But I now realise I do have the talent,’’ Balaji says with a hint of a blush. The six of Shoaib was a ‘‘great feeling’’. ‘‘I am a very patient batsman and like to leave as many balls as possible. But when the ball does come for a free hit, I would go for it.’’

It was on India A’s tour of the West Indies last year when Balaji’s batting prowess first came to the fore. He added a few useful runs lower in the order in partnership with Aavishkar Salvi and helped his team score a couple of narrow wins. He also impressed on the A team tour of South Africa in 2002, but all that is history as far as Balaji is concerned. ‘‘This is international cricket,’’ he says. ‘‘It is the highest level and much tougher.’’

Seems like the 23-year-old has prepared himself well for the demands though.