Book: Cricket World Cup: The Indian Challenge; Author: AshisRay; Publisher: Bloomsbury; Price: Rs 499
They say “in India, cricket is not just a game, it’s areligion”. The sport is followed by nearly everyone across the country andwith the 2019 edition of the World Cup underway, the buzz around cricket in thecountry is at its peak.
It is in such an environment that celebrity broadcasterAshis Ray has launched his new book, “Cricket World Cup: The IndianChallenge” where he has penned down the journey of the Indian cricket teamat the World Cups since the inaugural edition in 1975.
In his book, Ray takes the readers down the team’s journeysince the inaugural 60-over World Cup in 1975 which the West Indies won.
The book has a foreword by former Indian captain and battinglegend Sunil Gavaskar in which he talks about the turning point in India’sattitude towards ODI cricket. “It was only after India had participated ina tri-series in Australia in 1980-81 where they played five matches againsteach of the other teams that they began to think about tactics and strategiesto win the game. Till then, it was mostly a format played for fun and theresults did not really affect any player’s position in the Test team,”writes Gavaskar.
All matches of India, since the inaugural World Cup 44 yearsago, are recorded in detail as well as every semi-final and final regardless ofwhether India featured in them or not. Not only has Ray detailed the scores butalso the environment surrounding the matches.
The book consists of nine chapters in total where Ray talksabout all the facets of Indian cricket, details India’s performance in eachWorld Cup, and also talks about the controversies around the sport in thecountry.
In one of the chapters under the heading “1983:Ecstasy” which talks about India’s maiden World Cup win under thecaptaincy of Kapil Dev, Ray says that tickets for the final had been sold outin advance with English buying most of them. “They expected England toqualify for this culmination, like they had done four years earlier. So, theirhopes were dashed by England’s capitulation to India,” Ray writes.
Ray also pens down what Mohinder Amarnath, who was thevice-captain of the team for the showpiece event, said about India’spreparation for the World Cup. “There was no planning, no team discussion;no strategies were discussed…I think the motto was very simple in those days:that cricket we played very hard on the field and we used to party in theevenings.”
While talking about the 2011 World Cup which India won inchapter under the heading “2011: Triumph”, he reveals how Australiaand New Zealand were provisionally designated as hosts for the showpiece event.”But persuasive money talk on the part of Sharad Pawar, as head of BCCIand then the International Cricket Council (ICC), not merely snatched theprivilege away from their grasp, but ensured that the capital of his home stateof Maharashtra, Mumbai — not undeservingly, though — would stage thefinal.”
Talking about the final where India defeated Sri Lanka onApril 2, 2011, Ray quotes Sachin Tendulkar as expressing: “It was a nightthat India could never forget and we, having played a part in it, will neverwant to forget.”
The book ends with a preview of the ongoing World Cup andIndia’s chances at the 2019 edition of the showpiece event.
Published by Bloomsbury, the book is available on leadinge-portals including Amazon.