On the Shelf

You expect a lot more from the first attempt at a premier Indian cricketer’s first biography. Vedam Jaishankar is a senior journalist and knows the importance of making the first move towards a prime project. That this is the first book on Dravid is the only thing that works for the 111-page quickie. Otherwise, zilch. Apart from eulogising Dravid and attempting to shake off the ‘‘bridesmaid’’ tag from the Indian vice-captain, Vedam does provide a few anecdotal bits, but little else. Probably in his hurry to release the book before someone else makes a similar attempt.

The three premier Indian batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly and Dravid, form an interesting triumvirate. While Tendulkar’s flamboyance is limited to the cricket field, his status ensures that anything written about him will ‘‘sell’’. Ganguly is a piquant character with an interesting background and story, so tales about him will succeed. Dravid, on the other hand, is a totally straight jacketed character (while being a fantastic cricketer at par with the other two) who seldom provides colourful copy.

A biography of him is therefore a challenge far too intimidating. Vedam fails in his attempt. What we get are page after page of match reports and statistics, and yet another depressing Indian cricket book. Maybe an analysis of his career so far would have made more sense.