Dhoni goes bat-shopping in Meerut

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is making himself battle-ready for the upcoming tour of Australia and the Indian skipper was seen spending long hours selecting bats in Meerut.

Dhoni, who missed the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka due to an injured thumb, has also been ruled out of the first Test in Brisbane starting December 4. He is expected to take the field in the second Test in Adelaide on December 12.

In the meantime, Dhoni made a quiet trip to the city-based cricket company and reportedly spent five hours to select the right bats for the bouncy Australian tracks.

According to reliable sources, Dhoni selected six bats of 1260 grams each for the trip Down Under.

The workers in the company revealed that Dhoni was particular not only about the shape of the bat but also got the stroke of the wood.

Head of Sareen Sports Industries (SS), Jatin Sareen said that Dhoni's visit was personal and that is the reason the Indian skipper did not meet the media.

Dhoni wanted to keep his visit to the city a secret and the company head, where the batsman got his bats prepared, did confirm the skipper's presence but refused to give away anything else as directed by him.

Interestingly, Dhoni had visited the city back in 2011 to select bats with his wife Sakshi. Sareen said Dhoni was not the only cricketer to get his bats made in the city as Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and former captains Kapil Dev and Rahul Dravid also preferred to get their equipment made in Meerut.

Apart from Indian players, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting had also driven down to the sports city to get some of his bats.