In times of mobile phones, ring tones tell you a lot about a person or his moods. Laxmipathy Balaji's cell rings to the late 70s, Kishore Kumar classic Aanewala pal, jaanewala hai. And it isn't tough to guess the frame of mind of the pacer who, just three years back, had the packed stands in Pakistan sing that peppy item-song: Balaji jara dhera chalo in his praise.

Bollywood’s philosophical look at living the moment and the temporary high of this unpredictable would have provided a perfect background score at a TNCA function on the match eve where Balaji — nursing a career-threatening stress fracture of the back — sat just behind Team India physio John Gloster and the new-kid-on-the-pace-block S Sreesanth.

Watching the just healed pacers Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar sitting in the front row and remembering the missing faces of Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra, it seemed Balaji's ring tone was more like the signature tune of the fitness-fragile India pace department.

Balaji's famous toothy smile is there, his thick mop of hair still needs to be regimented regularly but a stress fracture of the back means he has to be in casuals and sit behind the Men in Blue.

While Sreesanth was busy obliging the autograph hunters, the local boy was more keen to talk to Gloster. Despite playing his last international match in 2005 and missing the entire domestic season this year, the local boy still attracts attention but Balaji refuses to entertain requests.

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