Jayaraman: The Chennai bat repairer who prefers customer satisfaction over cash

Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina

When you step into Jayaraman’s undersized bat mending shop, it almost seems impossible to believe that he had fixed bats for cricketers of the stature of Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik.

The ardent cricket follower has been repairing and fixing bats of all sorts for the past 10 years. His shop is extremely small, but his knowledge and skills are exemplary. Clearly a man who knows his business, Jayaraman is a household name in the field. Despite having good international contacts, the 35-year-old has not restricted himself to the elite category players. He is a very familiar name among school, district, state and national level cricketers, as well. His customers increase in number during summer camps. Many a times, he receives bats from Erode, Pondicherry and even Kerala to work upon.

“I’m so passionate about cricket. One thing that I’ve always dreamt about is playing professional cricket. But since my financial background was very poor, I could not undergo any coaching or get myself trained professionally. Nevertheless, I do not miss it any more, thanks to my profession,” Jayaraman said.

Having set his shop bang opposite to the St. Bede’s ground in Mylapore, it is impossible for any player to miss it. Even in the middle of the match if there is something wrong with the bat, all that players need to do is walk across the road to get the bat fixed.

Rewind back 10 years, and you would find Jayaraman working on the grounds of St. Bede’s. He’ll be busy setting the ground ahead of matches and camps. He added: “It started when I first casually fixed a bat for my friend. I did not learn the skill from anywhere. As I kept mending and repairing more bats, I began to master the art. But even now, I sometimes help set the ground for matches.”

When as little as a scratch in the blade is charged an exorbitant price at the glittery high end bat showrooms, Jayaraman chooses to keep it nominal. “My charges are very minimal. If it costs Rs 500 outside, I charge Rs 300 here. Depending on the kind of fault and the method of repair, my charges range between Rs 250 and Rs 600. These vary with the brand, age, and material of the bat.”

However, his story is not all roses. He said, “Since I cannot afford to import the materials required, I might have to travel and purchase it myself. This is why I take three to five days to fix bats”.

When asked about plans to expand his business, he’s quick to reply, “I’m happy with this. My customers keep coming back to me and that is my highest satisfaction. I did not start to this just to make money. I enjoy working on bats and working with cricketers. Apart from players, I have also worked with the selectors of the state men’s and women’s team. But all that said and done, I do not wish to use that to my advantage for my business. I’m happy that my name and work has reached so far.”