MUMBAI: Ashraf Chaudhary once fixed his damaged bats and now Sachin Tendulkar has taken it upon himself to help the ailing bat repairer who has been hospitalised for a considerable amount of time.
“Ashraf Chacha” as he is known in cricketing circles, has been admitted to the Savla hospital since the last 12 days due to diabetes and midzone pneumonia related complications.
The bat maker’s close friend Prashant Jethmalani, told PTI on Tuesday, “Tendulkar came forward and has spoken to Ashraf Chacha. He has also helped him financially. A major chunk of the finances has been donated by the legendary batsman.”
Ashraf has fixed bats of several noted cricketers including Tendulkar, Virat Kohli but fell on hard times due to COVID-19 as both health and business took a beating.
He is an ever-present figure inside the Wankhede stadium during international and IPL matches.
Even international players like Australian Steve Smith, West Indian Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard have all hit sixes with bats mended by Ashraf Chacha.
The bat maker owns a shop M Ashraf Bro, which is situated at Dhobi Talao in South Mumbai and there have been times when he has repaired bats for free just for his love for the game and the players.