A great book about Indian circket history. I did not expected this heady mix of politics (colonial and post colonial), religion and sports in this book .But these are the factors which make this book a unique one. I knew Ramachandra Guha's writing style very well. So it was easy for me to follow the flow. Kudos to the author for focusing more on social, religious and political circumstances than the statistics and numbers. The author divides the book into four categories - Race , Caste , Religion and Nation. But as the book progress those categories criss-cross within.
The author also explain how Lord Harris's name is greatly exaggerated as father of Indian cricket.The book starts with meticulous details of how the first cricket tournament (Quadrangular-Pentangular ) started in Bombay. The tournament slowly and surely moved from secular to communal. The author critically explores the communal issues aroused by the popularity and incursion of cricket among Indians. Among the opposing party was one Mr. M.K Gandhi. But in spite of his opposition the tournament progressed for many numbers of years.Gandhi did not accept anything with communal spirit. The communal nature of the tournament was well documented by the author.Then there were princes and Nawabs who patronized the game in their own unique and authoritative manners.
I was really surprised about how the "Rest of India" team was created to accommodate the players from religions other than Hinduism and Islam. For me creation of this team itself a clear indication of the communal nature of the tournament. And good to know that Vijay Hazare's feats were recognized by others even today.
I was really surprised about how the "Rest of India" team was created to accommodate the players from religions other than Hinduism and Islam. For me creation of this team itself a clear indication of the communal nature of the tournament. And good to know that Vijay Hazare's feats were recognized by others even today.
The story of Palwankar Baloo, according to author the first great cricketer of India, was very interesting. I was not surprised that BCCI never mentioned a word or organized any event in Baloo's honour because Baloo was from low caste community (Untouchables). As I was reading , I related the story of the Tamil film Jeeva with Baloo's story. In both cases the upper caste (Brahmins) dominates lower caste people. It was very clear that Indian sports fraternity did not give the due respect Baloo and his family deserved. Even today modern Indian cricket story starts with C K Nayudu , the flamboyant batsman who scored 153 in two hours with 11 sixes and went onto became the popular hero . Though BCCI is more inclusive these days in regards to players selection but their attitude towards the players ,the paying public and more importantly to the game is pathetic.
Though the author acknowledges some parsis and muslim cricketers , it was Baloo and Nayudu who stood out in his portrayal of Indian Cricket history. It was very sad to know how the players were separated from their teams by partition. The author also highlights the politics played out by both India and Pakistan government through cricket matches. The author also explores how the audience changed from appreciating good cricket to nationalistic one expecting their team wins every game. He gave examples of crowd behaviour in calcutta and one involved Inzamam.
The book contains so many wonderful description of events that followed before,during and after those big matches .An educative,interesting and thoroughly entertaining account of Indian cricket history.
A must read for each and every Indian cricket fan.
Though the author acknowledges some parsis and muslim cricketers , it was Baloo and Nayudu who stood out in his portrayal of Indian Cricket history. It was very sad to know how the players were separated from their teams by partition. The author also highlights the politics played out by both India and Pakistan government through cricket matches. The author also explores how the audience changed from appreciating good cricket to nationalistic one expecting their team wins every game. He gave examples of crowd behaviour in calcutta and one involved Inzamam.
The book contains so many wonderful description of events that followed before,during and after those big matches .An educative,interesting and thoroughly entertaining account of Indian cricket history.
A must read for each and every Indian cricket fan.
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