Balaji waits for his back pain to subside

MUMBAI: Lakshmipathy Balaji has quickly discovered that time doesn’t stop for anyone. When India last visited Pakistan (in 2004), he was a star — wicket, runs and fame came his way in abundance.

Today, he is forgotten.

A strained back has seen him miss all of Tamil Nadu’s matches so far. And even as the likes of Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, RP Singh and Sree Santh rack up the wickets, Balaji can do little but bide his time.

“I sustained the injury around a month back and have been unable to play any cricket. Right now, I am just waiting for the pain to subside. Only then can I start bowling again,” said Balaji.

Balaji had grown accustomed to hearing his name being chanted by the crowd on the last tour of Pakistan.

“Well that was nice but the security was so tight that we could hardly see much of the country,” said the medium-pacer. “Perhaps the one memory I have of the tour other than winning the ODI and Test series is going to the Wagah border.”

One thing Chappell won’t have to worry about on the tour is the players’ discipline or of them returning back to their rooms early enough. “The Pakistan tour was all about going to the ground and then back to the hotel. It was like being under house arrest,” Balaji added with a laugh.

India is winning and being part of a winning outfit is always special. Balaji misses that feeling the most. “The boys are doing very well. And as long as the country is winning, individual triumphs don’t matter.”