What do you think?
Rate this book
Wizards: The Story of Indian Spin Bowling
The story of Indian spin bowling goes as far back as the turn of the twentieth century. In the Bombay Triangular (later, Quadrangular and Pentangular) and in the 1911 tour to England, Palwankar Baloo and his brand of left-arm spin delighted Englishman and Indian alike. Later, in the ’50s, the genius of Subhash Gupte, Vinoo Mankad and Ghulam Ahmed enthralled connoisseurs throughout the cricket-playing world.
But it was truly in the ’60s and ’70s, with the fabled Spin Quartet – Bedi, Prasanna, Chandra and Venkat – who foxed and out-thought the mightiest batsmen, that India began to dominate the world of spin. In the ’80s and ’90s, Sivaramakrishnan, Maninder Singh and Hirwani flattered to deceive before Kumble, Harbhajan and Ashwin re-established India’s reputation as possibly the finest spin nursery in world cricket.
No other skill has contributed more to the country’s cricket – and, arguably, spin bowling is what drove its race to the top. The first comprehensive book on Indian spinners, Wizards is deeply researched, nuanced and richly anecdotal, and fills an important gap in literature on the sport. An essential addition to every cricket lover’s library.
- GenresSportsNonfiction
480 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2019
8 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Anindya Dutta
12 books13 followersAnindya Dutta, an international banker turned entrepreneur, is a widely read cricket columnist and author. His first book on cricket, A Gentleman’s Game published in early 2017, rose to the top of the Amazon Bestseller list in India, Australia and UK, as have every one of his books since.
He writes regularly on sports history on websites like ESPN Cricinfo, Cricket Country, The Roar in Australia, Cricket Soccer, and journals like The Sportstar and The Cricketer Magazine. Anindya’s writing can be accessed on his website www.cricketwriter.com, and he can also be followed on Twitter and Instagram accounts (@Cric_Writer) and Facebook page (Cricket Writer).
Anindya has worked in London, Hong Kong, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai over the past 25 years. He now works, writes, and lives in Singapore.
He writes regularly on sports history on websites like ESPN Cricinfo, Cricket Country, The Roar in Australia, Cricket Soccer, and journals like The Sportstar and The Cricketer Magazine. Anindya’s writing can be accessed on his website www.cricketwriter.com, and he can also be followed on Twitter and Instagram accounts (@Cric_Writer) and Facebook page (Cricket Writer).
Anindya has worked in London, Hong Kong, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai over the past 25 years. He now works, writes, and lives in Singapore.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 31, 2020
A well-researched book on the history of Indian spin bowling. The book's strength is that it has an eye for detailed statistics as well as juicy anecdotes. While it covers Palwankar Baloo's exploits in England, it does not miss out on Baloo losing in an election to Dr.B.R.Ambedkar in 1937. While it covers the familiar ground of Chandrasekhar's 6/38 at the Oval in 1971, it also describes in detail how Gavaskar resorted to batting left-handed to negate Raghuram Bhat's prodigious turn in a Ranji match. A connoisseur's delight.
September 6, 2020
"A good captain must have a fair idea about the limitations of his side." - Tiger Pataudi
As an Indian cricket fan who has grown watching Team India winning the Tests with spinners dominating the matches, this book is a tribute to the those cherished moments of bat-pads, lbws and bowled on a crumbling fifth day pitch. The book starts with the story of Palwankar Baloo who raised above the petty caste politics and was one of the earliest heros of Indian spin bowling.
Although it took a reader to the gritty and mesmerizing journeys of Vinood Mankad and Subhash Gupte respectively, it could bamboozle a young Indian fan with the knowledge that before the spin quartet, there was a spin trio of Bapu Nadkarni, Chandu Border and Salim Durani. Borde and Durani were known more for their batting. Moreover, the author explains beautifully how Tiger Pataudi created his own Blue Ocean strategy to win Tests for India. There are dedicated chapters for each of the legend in that famous spin quartet.
One of my favorite chapters was The Unlucky Ones. It's about the spinners who missed out playing for India because the quartet was superb. In fact, there were 3 contenders apart from the great Rajinder Goel.
The best part for me was the way the author told stories of the spinners in 1980s. I didn't know much about that era except that Doshi was wayward, Maninder and Siva were disappointments post a brilliant start and Shastri was too much defensive, never read about Shivlal Yadav, Hirwani was know for just a record and Sivaramakrishnan was a bad commentator.
Then there is a small yet engrossing chapter about the greatest spin bowler India have ever produced - Anil Kumble.
"If there had been no Chandra, there would have been no Kumble." - V.Ramnarayan
Moreover, there was a insightful chapter about the two young spinners - Kuldeep and Chahal where the author explains the rise of wrist spin in modern day cricket.
The author then moves on to the question of why there are less spinners who have captained their national sides on a consistent basis where he puts a brilliant statistic - India has the highest percentage of captains who are spinners - 6% whereas England, Australia and West Indies are around 1-4%. However, it is still disappointing when the spinners are your biggest match winners.
I have liked the book and the flow it presents. Majority of the information is collected with interviews with current and former players rather than just doing a literature review. However, there are a couple of factual mistakes like mixing of Brendon Julian (Australian medium pacer) and Bernard Julien (West Indian quick) and Ganguly playing a captain's knock in the Kumble's Perfect Ten Delhi Test in 1999 even when Azhar was the skipper.
Overall, a good book and I would like to read other books of Anindya Dutta.
As an Indian cricket fan who has grown watching Team India winning the Tests with spinners dominating the matches, this book is a tribute to the those cherished moments of bat-pads, lbws and bowled on a crumbling fifth day pitch. The book starts with the story of Palwankar Baloo who raised above the petty caste politics and was one of the earliest heros of Indian spin bowling.
Although it took a reader to the gritty and mesmerizing journeys of Vinood Mankad and Subhash Gupte respectively, it could bamboozle a young Indian fan with the knowledge that before the spin quartet, there was a spin trio of Bapu Nadkarni, Chandu Border and Salim Durani. Borde and Durani were known more for their batting. Moreover, the author explains beautifully how Tiger Pataudi created his own Blue Ocean strategy to win Tests for India. There are dedicated chapters for each of the legend in that famous spin quartet.
One of my favorite chapters was The Unlucky Ones. It's about the spinners who missed out playing for India because the quartet was superb. In fact, there were 3 contenders apart from the great Rajinder Goel.
The best part for me was the way the author told stories of the spinners in 1980s. I didn't know much about that era except that Doshi was wayward, Maninder and Siva were disappointments post a brilliant start and Shastri was too much defensive, never read about Shivlal Yadav, Hirwani was know for just a record and Sivaramakrishnan was a bad commentator.
Then there is a small yet engrossing chapter about the greatest spin bowler India have ever produced - Anil Kumble.
"If there had been no Chandra, there would have been no Kumble." - V.Ramnarayan
Moreover, there was a insightful chapter about the two young spinners - Kuldeep and Chahal where the author explains the rise of wrist spin in modern day cricket.
The author then moves on to the question of why there are less spinners who have captained their national sides on a consistent basis where he puts a brilliant statistic - India has the highest percentage of captains who are spinners - 6% whereas England, Australia and West Indies are around 1-4%. However, it is still disappointing when the spinners are your biggest match winners.
I have liked the book and the flow it presents. Majority of the information is collected with interviews with current and former players rather than just doing a literature review. However, there are a couple of factual mistakes like mixing of Brendon Julian (Australian medium pacer) and Bernard Julien (West Indian quick) and Ganguly playing a captain's knock in the Kumble's Perfect Ten Delhi Test in 1999 even when Azhar was the skipper.
Overall, a good book and I would like to read other books of Anindya Dutta.
October 12, 2019
It is a beautifully written book ,which is the manifestation of deep research, incisive analysis, unbiased view and the richness of language. The book is a seminal work and goes a very long way in unearthing and preserving the facts about the achievements of India's pantheon of spinners. Anindya's hard work and passion for the game emanates from each page that one reads.
It is a masterpiece and finds its place among the finest books on cricket.
It is a masterpiece and finds its place among the finest books on cricket.
December 22, 2020
Great bunch of anecdotes.
January 26, 2021
Having discovered this book on the shelf of one of Bombay's remaining bookstores, I instantly felt the need to pick this one up in the long run. As an engineer and then a teacher I have spent long hours reflecting on the cerebral nature of the role of a spinner in cricket and especially in Test matches. This book seemed to offer answer to the questions I had playing on my mind. I firmly believe that there is a clear need to create a space in literature for spinners and their art.
However, like the many ephemeral spinning talents, who bowled well in patches, I found this book blowing hot and cold at times. At the outset the book deserves credit for going over pretty much every spinner to play for India in some level of detail including the role of some of the part timers. In the breadth of coverage Wizards tops the charts. I really appreciate the sections on the likes of Padmakar Shivalkar, Rajinder Goel and Rajinder Hans who were unable to play for India and hence are lost to the present generation of cricket lovers. Beyond this there are three strong sections of this book. First, the chapter on Palwankar Baloo is well written and examines his entry into bowling and by extension cricket from the sociological angle. The implications of his work on society are well defined in this book. Second, is the section on Pataudi's strategic thinking and leadership to go all guns blazing on spin. The writer's corporate background is evident in the analogy he draws with the Blue Ocean strategy. The sections on Pataudi's thinking and anti-parochial nature paint a strong portrait of his leadership ability. In another chapter, Dutta's descriptions of Bishan Singh Bedi as a leader are equally moving. Thirdly, the closing essay on spinners and bowlers as captains is great food for thought for anyone who has reflected on the nature of captaincy in the game. Dutta draws examples from Bedi, Benaud, Kumble and Illingworth to highlight what good and average spinner captains can be like. A final flash of brilliance is the section describing E.A.S. Prasanna's articulation of the aerodynamics of a spinning ball. Any technically inclined cricket lover would geek out on the same.
That said, I do believe that this book is wanting in many regards. The chapters on the bowlers and blurbs on the part timers come across as a repetitive rehash of statistics for which I could just look up Cricinfo. On multiple instances I could find sentences and lines repeated from previous paragraphs verbatim. The language for almost the entire length of the book is easy to consume except the last chapter where Dutta throws in a few from the GRE word list a lot like an off spinner bowling a doosra to a #11 batsman. At various places I found the book lacking depth and structure. I personally would have liked a more cohesive section on the Quartet rather an individual arc. By and large except for Palwankar Baloo and Dilip Doshi, the book misses out detailing the struggles of the spinners and what led them to reach the highest level. The over arching question on what makes India produce a continuous tide of high quality spinners should have been examined in greater detail. Lastly, though it may arise from a personal love for understanding the motion of spin bowling, I do believe Dutta could have worked on highlighting the thinking of some of the spinners on technical aspects and their psychology behind combating with batsmen.
In sum this book would be a solid 3.5 but my love for the topic softens me up. Would definitely recommend the book to anyone whose a fan of cricket literature and Indian cricket in particular.
However, like the many ephemeral spinning talents, who bowled well in patches, I found this book blowing hot and cold at times. At the outset the book deserves credit for going over pretty much every spinner to play for India in some level of detail including the role of some of the part timers. In the breadth of coverage Wizards tops the charts. I really appreciate the sections on the likes of Padmakar Shivalkar, Rajinder Goel and Rajinder Hans who were unable to play for India and hence are lost to the present generation of cricket lovers. Beyond this there are three strong sections of this book. First, the chapter on Palwankar Baloo is well written and examines his entry into bowling and by extension cricket from the sociological angle. The implications of his work on society are well defined in this book. Second, is the section on Pataudi's strategic thinking and leadership to go all guns blazing on spin. The writer's corporate background is evident in the analogy he draws with the Blue Ocean strategy. The sections on Pataudi's thinking and anti-parochial nature paint a strong portrait of his leadership ability. In another chapter, Dutta's descriptions of Bishan Singh Bedi as a leader are equally moving. Thirdly, the closing essay on spinners and bowlers as captains is great food for thought for anyone who has reflected on the nature of captaincy in the game. Dutta draws examples from Bedi, Benaud, Kumble and Illingworth to highlight what good and average spinner captains can be like. A final flash of brilliance is the section describing E.A.S. Prasanna's articulation of the aerodynamics of a spinning ball. Any technically inclined cricket lover would geek out on the same.
That said, I do believe that this book is wanting in many regards. The chapters on the bowlers and blurbs on the part timers come across as a repetitive rehash of statistics for which I could just look up Cricinfo. On multiple instances I could find sentences and lines repeated from previous paragraphs verbatim. The language for almost the entire length of the book is easy to consume except the last chapter where Dutta throws in a few from the GRE word list a lot like an off spinner bowling a doosra to a #11 batsman. At various places I found the book lacking depth and structure. I personally would have liked a more cohesive section on the Quartet rather an individual arc. By and large except for Palwankar Baloo and Dilip Doshi, the book misses out detailing the struggles of the spinners and what led them to reach the highest level. The over arching question on what makes India produce a continuous tide of high quality spinners should have been examined in greater detail. Lastly, though it may arise from a personal love for understanding the motion of spin bowling, I do believe Dutta could have worked on highlighting the thinking of some of the spinners on technical aspects and their psychology behind combating with batsmen.
In sum this book would be a solid 3.5 but my love for the topic softens me up. Would definitely recommend the book to anyone whose a fan of cricket literature and Indian cricket in particular.
October 17, 2020
For my trips I prefer carrying cricket-books by (lesser-known) authors who are not associated with the game professionally. While those books fall short of greatness, they make for good reads with unconventional takes on various aspects of the game. I read the author's Spell-binding Spells : Cricket’s most magnificent bowling spells which was good last year and along with the author duo Giridhar/Raghunath (Mid-Wicket Tales: From Trumper to Tendulkar and From Mumbai to Durban: India's Greatest Tests), these are the best books by such authors.
Coming to the book, it is a delightful read, healthily sprinkled with anecdotes and quotes and the author's own opinions. All eras from Palwankar Baloo to our very latest IPL stars are covered well and without being tedious or show-off of the author's knowledge. Perhaps, the greatest tribute I can pay the author is that his book reminded me of Rama Guha's books on cricket.
A must-read !
Coming to the book, it is a delightful read, healthily sprinkled with anecdotes and quotes and the author's own opinions. All eras from Palwankar Baloo to our very latest IPL stars are covered well and without being tedious or show-off of the author's knowledge. Perhaps, the greatest tribute I can pay the author is that his book reminded me of Rama Guha's books on cricket.
A must-read !
September 1, 2020
Indian cricket, where bowling is concerned, has long been the bastion of spin bowlers. Occasionally, there has been the odd pacer, but it took forty-five years from India’s first Test where Mohammed Nissar and Amar Singh shared the new ball for another proper pacer to be blooded into the side. Kapil Dev would lay the foundation for a generation of pacers that comprised Javagal Srinath who passed the cherry on to Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, from whom it has gone to the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. But till 1977, India largely relied on its spinners once players like Eknath Solkar and Syed Abid Ali had worn the ball out a bit.
Anindya Dutta’s book Wizards: The Story of Indian Spin Bowling tracks the journey of the turners of the ball from the time of Palwankar Baloo, a Dalit who trumped caste prejudices to emerge as the leading bowler for the Hindus in the Pentangular, to the Spin Quartet of the 60s and 70s, to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, to the present-day turners.
Indian spinners are truly a fascinating lot, one who have been much maligned for being assisted by Indian pitches (as if Perth didn’t help Australian pacemen, or the English tracks their seamers). The amount of genuine talent that has emerged from the ocean that is India is astounding.
While the subject matter itself is of tremendous value, I couldn’t help but find the writing a tad bit dry. It has something to do with the fact that India isn’t a country big on archiving and record-keeping, which means there is virtually nothing of audio and early video footage for Dutta to draw his material from.
Unsurprisingly then, the book is strongest when describing the likes of Baloo, who received extensive print media coverage. It’s a dry patch thereon till we reach Vinoo Mankad, also greatly documented. The drought finally ends with the Quartet and the material thereafter is mostly engaging enough.
It’s Dutta’s repetition – never more on display than in the Quartet section – that is annoying, as is his overstating of statistics without trying to put them across in a more reader-friendly manner.
What I liked, apart from the early chapters, was Dutta’s attention to domestic giants like Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar, as well as those who failed to live up to their initial promise.
While the idea behind the book – to put together a single volume of Indian cricket��s greatest spinners – is undeniably intriguing, the execution is found wanting.
More at Varun Oak-Bhakay's Writer's Block
Anindya Dutta’s book Wizards: The Story of Indian Spin Bowling tracks the journey of the turners of the ball from the time of Palwankar Baloo, a Dalit who trumped caste prejudices to emerge as the leading bowler for the Hindus in the Pentangular, to the Spin Quartet of the 60s and 70s, to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, to the present-day turners.
Indian spinners are truly a fascinating lot, one who have been much maligned for being assisted by Indian pitches (as if Perth didn’t help Australian pacemen, or the English tracks their seamers). The amount of genuine talent that has emerged from the ocean that is India is astounding.
While the subject matter itself is of tremendous value, I couldn’t help but find the writing a tad bit dry. It has something to do with the fact that India isn’t a country big on archiving and record-keeping, which means there is virtually nothing of audio and early video footage for Dutta to draw his material from.
Unsurprisingly then, the book is strongest when describing the likes of Baloo, who received extensive print media coverage. It’s a dry patch thereon till we reach Vinoo Mankad, also greatly documented. The drought finally ends with the Quartet and the material thereafter is mostly engaging enough.
It’s Dutta’s repetition – never more on display than in the Quartet section – that is annoying, as is his overstating of statistics without trying to put them across in a more reader-friendly manner.
What I liked, apart from the early chapters, was Dutta’s attention to domestic giants like Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar, as well as those who failed to live up to their initial promise.
While the idea behind the book – to put together a single volume of Indian cricket��s greatest spinners – is undeniably intriguing, the execution is found wanting.
More at Varun Oak-Bhakay's Writer's Block
January 22, 2021
I fell in love with test cricket all over again as an unheralded Indian squad battled hard to save the 3rd test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. One of the stars of the day - R Ashwin - has long been a favourite. Picked this one up to go back in time and see if he'd make it to an all time India XI alongside the great Anil Kumble. He would. :)
Wizards is a sincere chronicle of India's spin bowling tradition. It has grit - Dilip Doshi, Shivlal Yadav and the indomitable Kapil Dev Nikhanj bowling India to victory carrying debilitating injuries. It has fascinating stories - sample this, before MS Dhoni , the Railway TTE, there was VM Muddiah, the Air Traffic Controller who also happened to be an international cricketer. Or the one about the 1st Indian cricketer to be awarded an MBE (Hint : Many of us haven't heard of him). It has craft. And art. And tales aplenty. Also, a couple of extra spoons of Bengal and the overlooked Bengali trope.
Think it could've done with some better editing - in terms of facts, brevity and organisation. Would've enjoyed this mor a few years ago.
Wizards is a sincere chronicle of India's spin bowling tradition. It has grit - Dilip Doshi, Shivlal Yadav and the indomitable Kapil Dev Nikhanj bowling India to victory carrying debilitating injuries. It has fascinating stories - sample this, before MS Dhoni , the Railway TTE, there was VM Muddiah, the Air Traffic Controller who also happened to be an international cricketer. Or the one about the 1st Indian cricketer to be awarded an MBE (Hint : Many of us haven't heard of him). It has craft. And art. And tales aplenty. Also, a couple of extra spoons of Bengal and the overlooked Bengali trope.
Think it could've done with some better editing - in terms of facts, brevity and organisation. Would've enjoyed this mor a few years ago.
November 6, 2020
A book that chronicles the journey of Indian cricket through its artist, the spinners. Any Indian cricket fan or a cricket tragic needs to read this book to learn the history of the sport in India. The book, in a way, also describes the growth of India as a nation through the eyes of its various captains and spinners.
The book reads as a beautiful river flowing through the various landmarks of Indian cricket and not as some Wisden player profile. It not only chronicles the history of spin but also the history of Indian captains because it is very clear that a captain’s involvement/non-involvement is of prime importance in the growth and success of a spinner.
Worth a read and I hope the author keeps updating this book every 5 years or so to keep this journey going...
The book reads as a beautiful river flowing through the various landmarks of Indian cricket and not as some Wisden player profile. It not only chronicles the history of spin but also the history of Indian captains because it is very clear that a captain’s involvement/non-involvement is of prime importance in the growth and success of a spinner.
Worth a read and I hope the author keeps updating this book every 5 years or so to keep this journey going...
December 14, 2020
The book is fascinating. The author not only covers the stories of the known stars but he also shines the light on some of the lesser known spinners. I practically raced through the book as it is an easy read.
The author has not only picked up stories from his own interactions but also from other books on the same subject. However I wish there were more anecdotes, those little stories which you hear on the grounds or during a match but they aren't important enough to make it to the media. The little match-ups and the battles.
Barring a few small errors in the book, it is a great compilation. I would recommend this book as a must read for any Indian cricket fan but more so for buddying young cricketers.
The author has not only picked up stories from his own interactions but also from other books on the same subject. However I wish there were more anecdotes, those little stories which you hear on the grounds or during a match but they aren't important enough to make it to the media. The little match-ups and the battles.
Barring a few small errors in the book, it is a great compilation. I would recommend this book as a must read for any Indian cricket fan but more so for buddying young cricketers.
September 28, 2020
Fine Account of Spin History of India
Very engrossing read.
We have a rich history of spin bowling and the book is a rich account of facts, views, opinions and anecdotes.
Mr. Dutta has put in efforts to gather facts and stats, sought meetings with people a plenty and the result is seen in this beautiful piece.
A recommend read for anyone who is interested in Cricket, Indian Cricket, History of Cricket and Spin Legacy that India carries on.
Few factual, statistical errors here and there but may be they had to be there to save this wonderful creation from evil eye. 🙂
Very engrossing read.
We have a rich history of spin bowling and the book is a rich account of facts, views, opinions and anecdotes.
Mr. Dutta has put in efforts to gather facts and stats, sought meetings with people a plenty and the result is seen in this beautiful piece.
A recommend read for anyone who is interested in Cricket, Indian Cricket, History of Cricket and Spin Legacy that India carries on.
Few factual, statistical errors here and there but may be they had to be there to save this wonderful creation from evil eye. 🙂
January 5, 2021
Well, a big shout to the author Anindya for briefing about every single spinner who’s donned the Indian colours (special chapters on the famed quartet), along with a few unlucky ones missing out despite possessing great talent and also a few par time spinners who’ve made a decent impact. It takes sheer dedication and fortitude to pen a book of this magnitude. If you’re a cricket buff interested in knowing more on India’s rich spin history since the pre-independence era, this book is a must. Over 400+ pages of purely engrossing stuff !! Go for it. You’ll enjoy this book to the core.
March 22, 2020
This is a delightful book covering the tradition of Indian spin bowling from Palwankar Baloo- India's spin flag bearer to Kuldeep Yadav, the latest exponent of the art.
The author gives due importance to each era of spin bowling and the corresponding contributors. He analyzes each artist's career path, strength and weaknesses in a concise and precise manner. The formation of spin quartet was an important milestone in India's cricket history and he describes the events leading to the event specially in terms of 'red ocean' versus 'blue ocean' analogy from corporate strategy excellently.
The author's meticulous research in terms of primary and secondary sources is evident. He also takes a 360 degree view in most cases combining his own insights with the available information from the sources. The insights which peek out touch on aspects such as a captain's contribution to the bowler's performance, the fielding levels of the era etc. He also ensures that those insights don't imbibe any personal preferences and provides a balanced and rational viewpoint.
The author also doesn't shy from calling out some of the controversies of the times including behind the scenes politics, team dynamics, indifferent administrative and inconsistent selection policies, all affecting the performance of the spin bowlers in varying degree. However the author ensures that those don't distract from the wonderful achievement of the Indian spin bowlers.
A special mention to the author for ensuring coverage of lesser known names of the Indian spin bowling contributors and making sure those don't get lost in realms of history.
In summary, this is a fascinating read and a highly recommended addition to your cricketing book library!
The author gives due importance to each era of spin bowling and the corresponding contributors. He analyzes each artist's career path, strength and weaknesses in a concise and precise manner. The formation of spin quartet was an important milestone in India's cricket history and he describes the events leading to the event specially in terms of 'red ocean' versus 'blue ocean' analogy from corporate strategy excellently.
The author's meticulous research in terms of primary and secondary sources is evident. He also takes a 360 degree view in most cases combining his own insights with the available information from the sources. The insights which peek out touch on aspects such as a captain's contribution to the bowler's performance, the fielding levels of the era etc. He also ensures that those insights don't imbibe any personal preferences and provides a balanced and rational viewpoint.
The author also doesn't shy from calling out some of the controversies of the times including behind the scenes politics, team dynamics, indifferent administrative and inconsistent selection policies, all affecting the performance of the spin bowlers in varying degree. However the author ensures that those don't distract from the wonderful achievement of the Indian spin bowlers.
A special mention to the author for ensuring coverage of lesser known names of the Indian spin bowling contributors and making sure those don't get lost in realms of history.
In summary, this is a fascinating read and a highly recommended addition to your cricketing book library!
February 15, 2021
The book gives an overall picture of spin bowlers with some insight in their performance and character. Though details can not be exhaustive but lack of which does not give true picture of performance. Still good reading with remarks by fellow cricketers extensively given.
March 4, 2023
Laid out beautifully.. Any Indian cricket aficionado will love it !! Learnt & loved the entire history of Indian spin bowlers.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews