Neither Balaji's parents nor his sister have ever taken leave from work to watch his matches. "Work comes first," says father Lakshmipathy. "We will watch television only after we come back from office. If it's a day-night match, we get to see the full match."

It is probably this work ethic that drives Balaji to work hard and perform better. "When he came back from Pakistan," says Vijayalakshmi, "I told him not to rest on his laurels. Now that everybody expects a lot from him, he should work really hard. He should have a permanent place in the team."

But it is not her brother who is Vijayalakshmi's hero; it is vice-captain Rahul Dravid. "No, no, I like him not the way teenage girls like him!" an embarrassed Vijayalakshmi hastens to clarify. "I like him because of his cool attitude to batting."

What puzzles Vijayalakshmi is the fact that her brother was a big hit with Pakistani girls. "He never had any girl fans here," she said. "There, they were shouting his name whenever he began bowling. We were quite surprised."

The Pakistanis were apparently bowled over by Balaji's incandescensmile. But it doesn't have the same impact on his sister. "I don't know what's so special about his smile," she says in true sibling fashion. "I teased him a lot when he came back."

After Balaji's exploits in Pakistan, his family has shed their earlier anonymity. "Even our friends and neighbours have forgotten our names," Mallika says with a smile. "We have become Balaji's father, Balaji's mother and Balaji's sister. Even in our office, our colleagues have forgotten our names." But no one is complaining. For all of them it is a matter of great pride.

Of all the praise Balaji has got so far, his mother cherishes President Musharraf's appreciative words the most. "That was indeed a proud moment for all of us," she says.

The primary reason for Balaji's success, she believes, is God's grace. "Then comes his dedication. He is willing to work very, very hard."

Back | Back to start