Evolution of Indian cricket, era by era
Gaurav Kanthwal
WHAT better time for a book on cricket than during the World Cup — especially when rain, lopsided contests and predictability have become the order of the day.
For those who are bored of watching past Indian victories on a loop on TV or those who have lost interest in watching India wallop minnows, here is a book that traces the journey of Indian cricket over the last nine decades — how a slave evolved into behemoth and became the czar of the world cricket.
It all started in the Test arena with India becoming a Test-playing nation in 1932 when they took on England at the Lord’s under the captaincy of CK Nayudu; their first Test victory against England in 1952 under Vijay Hazare; and their first Test series win against England in the summer of 1971-72 under Ajit Wadekar. England, because cricket is considered to be their game, and at that time, playing with their conquerors meant something.
The Nine Waves by Mihir Bose illustrates how cricket evolved in India in nine different eras, marked by individual brilliances and how we became a world-beater team under the current captain, whom the world calls King Kohli.
Bose, interestingly, has a term to define every captain: Kapil Dev is a ‘revolutionary’, MS Dhoni is a ‘Teflon Man’ and Sachin Tendulkar is ‘India’s cricketing Yudhishthira’.
The book can also be read as an extension of author’s earlier acclaimed book, A History of Indian Cricket (1990), with much of the subject matter remaining same. Added inputs, new observations, further three decades of Indian cricket history and benefit of hindsight make it an up-to-date historical account for an Indian cricket fan.
Bose’s writing is remarkable in the sense that he expresses things boldly, without mincing his opinion. Being a historian, author and a journalist who has written several comprehensive books on subjects as diverse as history, business and sports, his ability to go deep into a subject adds value to the book. Worth mentioning is his ability to provide context in describing a time period and comparing the attributes and shortcomings of cricketers of a particular wave. For example, comparisons like Kapil Dev vs Sunil Gavaskar, Vijay Hazare vs Vijay Merchant have been done in a way just like the reader would have liked to read.
In describing The First Wave, Bose notes how PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s decision to remain a part of new British Commonwealth was favourable for the game when hockey and football used to be in ascendancy. In 1950, the Indian football team had won the Asian Games gold, again in 1962, and were fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Moreover, football had a pan-India presence.
Indian hockey players were already world beaters since 1928 and ‘won next five Olympics gold in 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952 and 1956. India did not lose a single match at the Olympics until 1960’.
Cricketers, on the other hand, had achieved nothing till then on the world stage. They were yet to register their maiden Test win. But by being a part of British Commonwealth, India got a permanent membership of Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC), a predecessor of International Cricket Council.
Bose, 72, is Kolkata-born having spent his time in Mumbai and then moved to the UK in 1969, provides dual perspective on Indian cricket; one that of an avid Indian cricket follower, and the other as a British journalist viewing it from a distance.
Of the nine waves described in the book, Kohli’s India, for its topicality, and being the most dominant team in international cricket, holds promise. But for its sheer academic interest and old world charm, the reader is likely to find the first wave as the most interesting and informative.
