The wide grin — one that made a fan out of Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf among many others — hasn’t been splashed across newspapers or rolled on television screens for almost three years now. In fact, Balaji hasn’t had too much to smile about since he played his last international match in 2005.Even as every domestic player of repute was signing up contracts worth lakhs, there were no takers for Balaji until Tuesday, when the Chennai IPL team announced that they had signed the Tamil Nadu pacer, who is fighting his way back after a series of debilitating injuries left his career in shambles. Balaji has fought a groin injury and two back surgeries and now has a metal plate inserted in his back and sources close to the genial bowler say he is still working towards attaining full fitness. “This (picking him from IPL) is essentially a great gesture on part of the TNCA, who want to show the bowler that he has not been forgotten. It’s unlikely that he’ll play too much of a part in the IPL,” a source close to Balaji told The Indian Express. Balaji himself, though did not wish to speak to the media and it’s learnt that the fast bowler, who has made a deliberate attempt to keep away from the public eye to work through his rehab, is still fighting his own little battle in the mind—forgetting about the recurring injuries. Announcing Balaji’s inclusion in the Chennai Super Kings team, V B Chandrasekar, head of cricketing matters for the IPL side, said “we have pitchforked him in our team as an additional bowler. He has been in action after recovery from injury in the TNCA’s first division matches this season. “He has been effective in two spells of ten overs, though he has not been tried on the trot. He is surely going to be a lethal weapon in our scheme of things in the Twenty 20 IPL matches,” he said. Up-and-downAfter a forgettable one-day debut in 2002, Balaji came back a changed bowler, hitting great heights in the Pakistan tour of 2004. He also hit Shoaib Akhtar for a famous six, apart from playing a crucial role in the one-day series win. His back gave out a year later, and he had to undergo surgery. Balaji was sidelined for national reckoning due to a stress fracture and had last played for India in 2005, during the Indian Oil Cup in Sri Lanka.His comeback to domestic cricket was short-lived — his back gave way in the Irani Trophy game and Challengers in 2006. It was back to the bed, and this time things were worse. Balaji had his surgery done in England and has been since then closely working with TN coach WV Raman with his action, run-up and pace through the off-season. Balaji was in NCA last week to monitor his progress and is taking his own time in making a full-fledged return to competitive cricket.Laxmipathy BalajiBorn: September 27, 1981, Madras Major teams India, Tamil NaduBatting style Right-hand batBowling style Right-arm medium-fastBowling Averages: Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Econ SR Tests 8 15 1756 1004 27 5/76 9/171 3.43 65.0 ODIs 29 29 1417 1312 34 4/48 4/48 5.55 41.6 Test Debut: India v New Zealand at Ahmedabad,2003Last Test: India v Pakistan at Bangalore, 2005 ODI Debut: India v West Indies at Vadodara,2002 Last ODI: Sri Lanka v India at Dambulla, 2005
