‘After God, it’s Sourav on the Off side’, famously commented Rahul Dravid. Sourav Ganguly holds the record of the highest score (183) by an Indian in the World Cup. He didn’t play in any of the two landmark series’ (1983, 2011). He rather defined the era in-between and going by many of his believers - made the passage possible.
It’s easier said than done. His time was like the Cambrian period of Indian Cricket and talent proliferated in every conceivable specialization. Then it was Sourav’s vision and leadership that orchestrated Sachin’s genius with Rahul’s perfection, Laxman’s Artistry with Kumble’s magic, the seniors’ stability with the juniors’ promise and produced the symphony of wins.
Sourav’s book faithfully chronicles that period. It’s more of a flying manual for an instinctive captain negotiating a turbulent transformation. Some of his leadership tenets are borrowed from the words and wisdom of his role models: David Gower, Desmond Haynes, Wasim Akram. And the rest - he had to invent, much like the game he played - straight from the guts.
What a backdrop for his prolific treble (10,000 runs, 100 wickets & 100 catches) in ODI cricket and 7000+ runs in Test! It’s surprising and shocking to know how his personal fate oscillated between sheer survival and super success as he went about bringing in talent and stability at the highest level. The fairy-tale stories in his book leave out none of the folklore that made that era: the Greg Chappel saga, the 2001 follow-on win against Australia, the early exit from 2007 World cup ... and so on.
And then he delights an eternal fanboy like me with more - his life-lessons.
Let me recount just two. First, how to treat your opponent when they are your equal or more. Sourav’s runs-in with Power and Prejudice are well known. What is lesser known is the finesse and restraint, he has dealt them with. Second, his insights into the changing face of cricket: the portmanteau cricket (better known as T20, a 21st century fusion of one-day cricket and European franchise Soccer). Sourav sensed and dwells on the tectonic shifts that would shake, rock and shift Cricket out of its traditional base of 22-yards.
India have come a long way in International Cricket since their first overseas tour (1911) to the second world cup victory (2011). True, even this century (1911-2011) won’t have been enough to get there but for the script Sourav Ganguly authored.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2018
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Top reviews from other countries
Kandarp
Excellent book about an excellent Cricketer
Reviewed in Spain on April 18, 2020Karan A
An extraordinary journey of a cricket who believed in himself!
Reviewed in India on April 26, 2021
Karan A
Reviewed in India on April 26, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this emotional journey of a phenomenon in Indian cricket called ‘Saurav Ganguly’. The style of writing is emotional and not objective. The book kept reminding of my best friend, whose favourite cricketer is Ganguly, for his life too had been a roller coaster that I saw very closely.
Saurav Ganguly comes from an affluent Bengali family and his only aim in life was to play cricket for India, as long as he could. After making his first debut, he had to wait for another four years to play an international match, not easy by any means to stay focused and trust that it will happen.
A success in past doesn’t guarantee an easy ride in the future. The book is full of wisdom and anecdotes that hammers the point that your need to have single minded focus and right skills to reach the top. And once you are there, you need to perform consistently else get axed from the next series.
He was visionary and got things done his way, when he was the Captain. He built his own team, his own winners who could play fearless cricket. He always believed in leading from the front. Among the nice boys (Sachin, Dravid, VVS…) he had a courage to take on the administration and challenge the authorities. Rightly credited to bring the aggression, self-belief and a mindset that the team could defeat anyone overseas, not just in the subcontinent.
As a die-hard cricket fan, I would have loved if he could have gone in more details about some of the crucial matches, inside the dressing rooms and things that influenced and distracted him at times.
Ganguly keeps motivating himself throughout the situations and in turn tells the reader to do the same, “if you decide to allow your frustration to rule, the next day will be even tougher. The world, moving at its own pace, barely cares about your sentiments.”
A good motivational read to know what goes behind the seen, playing in 11 out of a billion people, for more than a decade, is inspiring in itself!
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Mr. GW
A breezy and entertaining read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2018Ruschil Aggarwal - Author of 'The Case for the Cosmic CEO'
Gripping in patches, lacking in content.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2021