Novel coronavirus has forced the people to remain in-house and refrain from any unnecessary outdoor activity atleast till the end of this month. The malls are shut, the playgrounds and gyms are closed, and there are hardly any social gatherings. Suddenly you find you have a lot of time in hand and perhaps don’t know what to do with it. It is something like a problem of plenty. Probably, what you can do is be “booked” for the rest of your home quarantine period. Since the cricket buff in you will not be able to hit the ground with a bat and ball in hand, might as well use this time to read about the sport you love the most.
Here are five interesting reads about cricket that you can cherish reading during this forced holiday:
Out of the Box
Harsha Bhogle, who is hailed as India’s Richie Benaud equivalent, the guru of cricket from India, wrote the book “Out of the Box” which was originally published in 2009. The book is a wonderful compilation of his weekly articles printed in the Indian Express. The topics are as diverse as advent of Dhoni to the descend of the Fab Four; from the art of coaching the Indian team to the BCCI’s money-mindedness; from cricketers shooting commercials just before a match to the nail-biting finish of many an IPL clash. “Out of the Box” brings forward the very best of Bhogle’s writing.
Click here to buy it from Amazon.
Playing it my Way
This is the autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar, a cricketing legend, who is often referred to as the God of Cricket. The book was originally published in 2014. The master blaster played for 24 long years and retired in 2013. In this book, Sachin talks about his eventful journey from his first Test match at the age of 16 to his 100th international century and the final farewell.
Democracy’s XI
Written by veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, the book “Democracy’s XI” was originally published in 2017. The author narrates the story of post-Independence cricket through the lives of eleven extraordinary Indian cricketers who represent different dimensions of this change – from Dilip Sardesai and Tiger Pataudi in the 1950s to M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli today. This book features 11 cricketers, who may not exactly be the all time greats but are the ones that seek to show us glimpses of a changing India through personal and anecdotal biographical portraits.
A Century is not Enough: My Roller-coaster Ride to Success
One of India’s most successful captains of all times, pens down his story in the book “A Century is not Enough: My Roller-coaster Ride to Success” originally published in 2018. Sourav Ganguly’s life has been nothing less than a roller coaster ride. On one hand, when he was the one who gave confidence to the team, re-energized them and took India, for the first time, to spectacular overseas victories, on the other hand, there was a time when he was dropped from the team. Ganguly was a fighter who overcame challenges to become India’s ultimate comeback king.
Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians: The On and Off the Field Story of Cricket in India and Beyond
The book “Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians: The On and Off the Field Story of Cricket in India and Beyond” is written by Boria Majumdar and was originally published in 2018. The book takes you behind the scenes of India’s most popular sport, going as far back as 1886 tours to the more contemporary IPL, offering a complete gamut of Indian cricket and its evolution on and off the field, through the years.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
