"My father couldn't play, so he started making bats under his name" - Sareen Sports Industries MD Jatin Sareen on Ep. 3 of Dream Big Stories
Did you know? Many landmark moments in Indian cricket have featured players using SS-manufactured bats. The illustrious list includes VVS Laxman’s 281, Virender Sehwag’s 309, Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in the 2007 T20 World Cup and MS Dhoni’s 2011 World Cup-winning six.
Indian cricketers wielding the ‘SS’ willows is a rather familiar sight for fans as the bat manufacturer has been the preferred choice for many star players over the years.
Jatin Sareen, Managing Director of Sareen Sports Industries in Meerut, shed light on how the company "batted" its way to his fame in Episode 3 of Dream Big Stories, a project by SK Brand Studio powered by Dream11. Sareen revealed:
“My father was a keen cricketer and wanted to pursue cricket. Because of family reasons, he couldn’t play, so he started making bats under his name - Sareen Sports (SS) - in the year 1969.”
He added that his father’s dream became his when he joined Sareen Sports Industries in 1996. Explaining how he made a difference, Sareen informed:
“There were some additions that could make us better. We focused on that and made many modifications.”
From his early days in the business, Sareen was involved with the Indian team. Sharing his experience of dealing with cricketing legends like Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, Sareen admitted that he learned a lot from them. He elaborated:
“Sourav Ganguly is like a mentor to me. Ajay Jadeja, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh - I made bats for them in the beginning. They explained and taught me a lot. I made them bats as per their choice. This marked the beginning of an era and a changing trend.”
“Every player has his own requirements when it comes to bats” - Jatin Sareen
Giving out intricate details of how players select bats, Sareen said that each cricketer has his own choice and unique preferences. He explained:
“Every player has his own requirements when it comes to bats. Some prefer normal blades, others prefer long blades. Some prefer heavy bats, while others prefer light ones. The requirements of bats that are used in India, Australia and England are different. We try to deliver them the way they want. A bat’s good performance is our speciality.”
Admitting that a player performing well with the SS bat makes him happy, Sareen concluded his thoughts by asserting:
“We feel very satisfied that we have done a good job. Hopefully, there are many more to come. We wish to continue doing this in the future.”
The story of SS bats spells Success and Superiority in the real sense. Truly, a dream well played!