On The Shelf

India’s Captains: From Nayadu to Ganguly
By Partab Ramchand
Penguin India
Price: Rs 250

It is rumoured that there are just two kinds of people: those who approve of Saurav Ganguly, and those who do not. It is a different matter that the balance between the two shifts dramatically depending on Team India’s last performance, but captaining the national team is a job that comes with immense allure as well as trainloads of gratuitous advice. If the job is many-faceted, it has been India’s fortune that its captains have never failed to excite or agitate. Included in this updated book are thumbnail sketches of greats like C.K. Nayudu (hero of the Pentangular years, and gallant trendsetter in Indian cricket’s early days), Mansur Ali Khan of Pataudi (the man who shined so briefly, but who in his tenure taught the country how to risk it all for a shot at victory) and Mohammed Azharuddin (the wristy genius destined to be transformed almost overnight into a tragic hero, the boy from Hyderabad who inspired a whole generation of youngsters but whose flawed attitude to the game rendered him a pariah even before a benefit match could be organised).

Peculiarly, the man who makes for an odd profile is Sachin Tendulkar. The spotlight is on captaincy, and this is perhaps the only department where the greatest cricketer of these times falls way short of the mark. Captaincy came twice to him — the first time too early, and the second time when India were negotiating painful transformation into a professional outfit. Will he get another shot at it? Here’s Ramchand’s take: “It is unlikely… which is just as well for Indian cricket in more ways than one.”

A Book of Cricket Days
By Bakhtiar Dadabhoy
Rupa & Co
Price: Rs 595

On this 22nd day of August, hark back to a proud moment. Ranjitsinhji became, 108 years ago, the first cricketer to score two first-class hundreds on the same day, for Sussex against Yorkshire. Nine years later this day saw the first match of the Bombay Triangular (later Pentangular) Tournament between the Hindus and the Parsees.

If you are one of those desperate souls addicted to nibbling on cricket stats and milestones, then this book of trivia is for you.