It was perfect timing as a courier-boy delivered a big brown packet at the nets as soon as Team India arrived in the practice area, a day before the third ODI, after a light fielding session at the Premadasa Stadium.

"Just keep it near Yuvraj's kit-bag there," said Gautam Gambhir, giving directions. The whole team wanted to know the contents of the packet, but it was Suresh Raina who finally tore it open to unveil a brand new bat. Tapping it gently, Raina nodded his head in appreciation.

Yuvraj Singh has been struggling with his bats on this tour -- the ones he's brought have either broken or don't have the right "feel". His scores might not suggest any problems, especially after his knock in Tuesday's game, but Yuvraj, like all batsmen, is finicky about his bat. When it was his turn at the nets, Yuvraj Singh sent the first ball racing away like a bullet, and Praveen Kumar instantly gave his thumbs-up to the bat.

Born and brought up in Meerut, Praveen is a self-confessed expert in bat mechanics. The all-rounder pointed out to Sachin Tendulkar's bat lying on the ground: "Look at this, it's so thick but what a shape!" he said lovingly. No two players in the Indian team have bats with the same mechanics. They all differ in weight, by a few grams at least, or the meat of the bat is located in slightly different regions.

Yuvraj was happily carting bowlers with his new bat until Ishant Sharma bowled a short-pitch ball delivery that gave him a nasty rap on his fingers. Wincing in pain, he let out a curse. "If you're so great in bowling bouncers, use them in the match! Why do you bowl slower ones there?" he chided Ishant as physio Nitin Patel ran over to attend to his latest client.

... contd.