The wood is shaved away till the blade of the bat comes into view. The sharp ridge at the back is chiselled from a block of wood. Kashmiri willow bats require constant knocking in (a process of treating the surface with linseed oil, and hitting it with a used soft leather ball) to make it fit for a cricket match. Kashmir is the only state in India that produces bats which match international standards, and many Indian players including Sunil Gavaskar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have used them in the past.
Willow wood was introduced in this region in the 18th century by the British. The bats during that era resembled hockey sticks. Today there are around 300 willow wood factories in Anantnag, Baramullah and Pahalgam.
Recently, there were reports that the bat factories were facing a shutdown due to a scarcity of the wood. Farmers were reluctant to plant the willow tree as it fetched them low returns. The slow growth of the tree complicates matters further, delaying the turnaround time of investment for farmers, and driving up the cost. The government’s inability to introduce a superior species of willow hasn’t helped either, and farmers are increasingly looking towards other cash crops, as this industry faces an inevitable crisis.
Photos by Nissar Ahmad