I remember reading one of the placard during Sachin’s batting which reads “Commit all your sins now because god is not watching. God has gone to see Sachin bat”. The day Sachin make a hundred, anyone you meet in India would be much more pleasant in their conversation than a routine day. The retirement of Sachin marks an end of an era and in Sachin’s words this book was the next logical step.
The Book is written by Boria Mazumdar. The details will make you live all those years which we have grown up watching. The book is a happy account of all the high’s and low’s of Sachin’s career. It gives an insight into Sachin’s character. The book tells about the rise of a champion and the amount of mental and physical effort invested in remaining a champion throughout his career
The journey began as a street cricketer. Cricket came to Sachin by chance. The initial contribution of his brother Ajit Tendulkar, and Coach Ramakant Archrekar gave him technique. The teachings from his father that “He would be happier if people hear that Sachin is nice human being than hearing Sachin is good cricketer” helped him becoming the true and humble person he is. His ethical character was displayed when he denied endorsing tobacco advertisement and played without a sticker during world cup tournaments.
The start against Pakistan’s trio of Wasim, Waqar and Imran and the 28 runs fetched against Abdul Quadir under hostile conditions marked the beginning of his career. Every match was preceded with careful planning and meticulous effort at net. Even to his last day, Sachin was one of the first to come on net and one of the last to leave. Sachin’s passion for the game is reflected from the incidents when he had to play with diapers because he did not want to miss a game. The sleeplessness and anxiety was common on the nights of big game matches. Over the years, he has played with fractured thumb, fever and at times with severe pain because he wanted India to win.
The book tells about his high points of NatWest series, 96 world cup, Titan cup, Sharjah back to back innings against Australia, World cup 2011 win and many other events of his career. However, he also talks about the frustrating series of losses during his tenure of captaincy, and large number of injuries that occurred to him from time to time. The recovery from series of injuries of tennis elbow or golfer elbow or hamstring shows his determination. From his book we can see that it is not his technique rather his passion and commitment for game that sets him apart from others.
He has also talked about his affair with Anjali and how Anjali came to his house posing as a TV reporter. In Anjali, he found his greatest partner. He also mentioned his long list of friends who were with him during all high’s and low’s. NRI Indians who arranged for Indian foods on the Christmas Eve in New Zealand or people in Yorkshire who taught him how to make salad bowl when he was living with Kambali, Nitin Paranjape and others. He was bearing all the expenses as he was the only earning member among the four. Book also talks about his love for Cars, Food and Music.
Sachin has also described some of the funny incidents and dressing room gossips which are not public otherwise. The rule of not changing the seats in dressing room during nail-biting matches shows the superstitious side of him. Sachin always made four visits Shivaji park temple, coach Archrekar, his Uncle-Aunt and SiddhiVinayak temple before any big series.
The book does not talk about technical details of the cricket however it provides some tips for a keen reader. Sachin always made meticulous plan for his opponent. For example, he undid Shane Warne extra drift by playing from leg stump and playing the ball as late as possible so that ball remains in his vision. He dealt with the deadly bouncers by widening the gap between his legs thus taking advantage of his shorter height. The match summary is interlaced with occasional discussion on some technical aspect but it is far from any detailed technical discussion.
However, the chapter on twenty-twenty cricket gives the good comparison of three forms of cricket namely test, one-day and 20-20. It gives a player’s perspective on the profound impact of 20-20 on Indian cricket. He justifies his decision of not playing international twenty-twenty.
Most of us have grown up thinking that Sachin is batting machine. However Sachin had his fair share of failure. Though he was much loved but there were times when he faced severe criticism and people even advised him to sit in front of mirror and contemplate retirement. However, as a true champion Sachin played his cricket in his own way. He recovered from the injuries in lesser then expected time frame, pushed himself hard and adapted his techniques as per the changing times. The book is compendium of all the struggle and corresponding fight back which make him true champion of the game.
However, at times it seems more like chronological listing of the Sachin’s cricketing career which is already present in scattered form all over the internet. In a typical Sachin style, it conveniently bypasses all the controversial issues like match fixing or selection biases. It talks about so-called monkey-gate scandal and ball tempering issue but overall the book is sober in listing the details. The details to his personal life are limited.
To sum it up, book is little more than plain listing of the chronological details but less than the possible masala of Indian cricket. The journey from teachings by his father to farewell speech at Wankhede is travelled in the book without sensationalism and is devoid of controversy. The book is not for people who are looking at the technical aspect of Sachin’s batting prowess rather it is good for those who wish to know more about Sachin’s personal life.
The Book is written by Boria Mazumdar. The details will make you live all those years which we have grown up watching. The book is a happy account of all the high’s and low’s of Sachin’s career. It gives an insight into Sachin’s character. The book tells about the rise of a champion and the amount of mental and physical effort invested in remaining a champion throughout his career
The journey began as a street cricketer. Cricket came to Sachin by chance. The initial contribution of his brother Ajit Tendulkar, and Coach Ramakant Archrekar gave him technique. The teachings from his father that “He would be happier if people hear that Sachin is nice human being than hearing Sachin is good cricketer” helped him becoming the true and humble person he is. His ethical character was displayed when he denied endorsing tobacco advertisement and played without a sticker during world cup tournaments.
The start against Pakistan’s trio of Wasim, Waqar and Imran and the 28 runs fetched against Abdul Quadir under hostile conditions marked the beginning of his career. Every match was preceded with careful planning and meticulous effort at net. Even to his last day, Sachin was one of the first to come on net and one of the last to leave. Sachin’s passion for the game is reflected from the incidents when he had to play with diapers because he did not want to miss a game. The sleeplessness and anxiety was common on the nights of big game matches. Over the years, he has played with fractured thumb, fever and at times with severe pain because he wanted India to win.
The book tells about his high points of NatWest series, 96 world cup, Titan cup, Sharjah back to back innings against Australia, World cup 2011 win and many other events of his career. However, he also talks about the frustrating series of losses during his tenure of captaincy, and large number of injuries that occurred to him from time to time. The recovery from series of injuries of tennis elbow or golfer elbow or hamstring shows his determination. From his book we can see that it is not his technique rather his passion and commitment for game that sets him apart from others.
He has also talked about his affair with Anjali and how Anjali came to his house posing as a TV reporter. In Anjali, he found his greatest partner. He also mentioned his long list of friends who were with him during all high’s and low’s. NRI Indians who arranged for Indian foods on the Christmas Eve in New Zealand or people in Yorkshire who taught him how to make salad bowl when he was living with Kambali, Nitin Paranjape and others. He was bearing all the expenses as he was the only earning member among the four. Book also talks about his love for Cars, Food and Music.
Sachin has also described some of the funny incidents and dressing room gossips which are not public otherwise. The rule of not changing the seats in dressing room during nail-biting matches shows the superstitious side of him. Sachin always made four visits Shivaji park temple, coach Archrekar, his Uncle-Aunt and SiddhiVinayak temple before any big series.
The book does not talk about technical details of the cricket however it provides some tips for a keen reader. Sachin always made meticulous plan for his opponent. For example, he undid Shane Warne extra drift by playing from leg stump and playing the ball as late as possible so that ball remains in his vision. He dealt with the deadly bouncers by widening the gap between his legs thus taking advantage of his shorter height. The match summary is interlaced with occasional discussion on some technical aspect but it is far from any detailed technical discussion.
However, the chapter on twenty-twenty cricket gives the good comparison of three forms of cricket namely test, one-day and 20-20. It gives a player’s perspective on the profound impact of 20-20 on Indian cricket. He justifies his decision of not playing international twenty-twenty.
Most of us have grown up thinking that Sachin is batting machine. However Sachin had his fair share of failure. Though he was much loved but there were times when he faced severe criticism and people even advised him to sit in front of mirror and contemplate retirement. However, as a true champion Sachin played his cricket in his own way. He recovered from the injuries in lesser then expected time frame, pushed himself hard and adapted his techniques as per the changing times. The book is compendium of all the struggle and corresponding fight back which make him true champion of the game.
However, at times it seems more like chronological listing of the Sachin’s cricketing career which is already present in scattered form all over the internet. In a typical Sachin style, it conveniently bypasses all the controversial issues like match fixing or selection biases. It talks about so-called monkey-gate scandal and ball tempering issue but overall the book is sober in listing the details. The details to his personal life are limited.
To sum it up, book is little more than plain listing of the chronological details but less than the possible masala of Indian cricket. The journey from teachings by his father to farewell speech at Wankhede is travelled in the book without sensationalism and is devoid of controversy. The book is not for people who are looking at the technical aspect of Sachin’s batting prowess rather it is good for those who wish to know more about Sachin’s personal life.
Engaging review of the cricket legend's tome...Attaboy! looking forward to regular posts on your blog.....
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