We all have played cricket and love the game. Did you ever remember where does the bat you use come from? I for one always thought that the bats were either from Meerut or Ludhiana.
That was till we saw them in Kashmir! Lots!
When we drove down the highway connecting Srinagar and Jammu, we noticed shops selling Cricket bats near Avantipora. We are surprised as we never knew that Kashmir also manufactured Cricket bats. Abid, our driver said that we get some of the best bats in Kashmir. He has played club level cricket in Kashmir and missed out chance in Ranji team. So i had to trust his words. What is interesting is that Avantipora and surrounding towns are well known for manufacturing top quality Cricket bats from Kashmir Willow.
We could not go to one of the manufacturing units as it was very early in the morning. We could however see pieces of Kashmir willow piled up in the factories on the roadside. We stopped at a small shop to check out thee bats. They were quite good.
Next time when you are driving between Srinagar and Jammu do stop at Avantipora and check out how the cricket bats are manufactured. It is quite interesting. Pick up a bat for your little ones. They would just love it.