Aslam Chaudhry's bats have fetched hundreds of runs but at present he finds himself on a difficult wicket, trying to fend off the bouncers that life has thrown at him.

Aslam Chaudhry is no famous batsman, but you could call him a busy bat-man. At least that was supposed to be his calling card before the pandemic sent the world haywire.

From Sachin Tendulkar to Chris Gayle to Virat Kohli to Steve Smith, Chaudhry's clientele comprises the who's who of cricket. They all have sought his help at some point.

For the bats he produced and the tweaks he made to get them back in shape from his decades-old workshop - M. Ashraf Bros, a bat-manufacturing shop set up by his father in the late 1920s - in south Mumbai, the 67-year-old Chaudhry has had a hand in the success of many a stalwart of the game.

But Chaudhry is not well. First, his business took a hit when Covid-19 put a brake on all sport, including the IPL which was supposed to be held in April-May. That is usually the time when he used to be busiest. Then, all of that started taking a toll on his health as well. And at present, Chaudhry is in a Chembur hospital, being treated for multiple ailments.

"He was so sick with kidney stones and water in the lungs... When I saw him, he was reduced to half of what he used to be. It seemed like he was being slow-poisoned," recalls Prashant Jethmalani, a close friend of Chaudhry.

Prashant, who looks up to Chaudhry as his "mentor, brother and guide", is actually the only one who's looking after him at the moment. "I did inform his immediate family about his health. Some of them stay in London and some in other parts of England. But unfortunately, they are unable to come due to visa-related issues," Prashant said.

"His elder brother too passed away quite some time back. So with no one to look after him, I've taken the onus on myself to get him cured and bring him back to normal life."

Chaudhry has been suffering since the last two-three months and hospitalised for more than a week.

"The good thing is, he's slowly responding to medications. He is most likely to be discharged from hospital this week itself.

"All these days he had been surviving mainly on juices, but from last Monday, he started having a bit of solid food. We somehow made him take a bit of it," Prashant said.

A furniture designer by profession, Prashant's own business has suffered because of Covid-19. But determined to ensure Chaudhry's treatment wasn't affected, he requested help from the cricket fraternity and wasn't turned down.

"Suryakumar Yadav (Mumbai and Mumbai Indians batsman), Shashank Singh (Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan Royals batsman), Indian woman players Punam Raut and Mona Meshram, and (ex-India batswoman) Reema Malhotra are among those who have transferred funds for his treatment.

"My factory too had a major loss because of the pandemic, so I had requested the cricket fraternity for help. Thankfully, it did its bit because everyone feels for him," Prashant said.

Chaudhry may not have been a top-class cricketer, but it seems he has scored enough for his admirers to acknowledge his contribution to the game. After all, he is the bat-man, forever.