Wit before wicket

This past week there8217;s been little that has been funny about cricket unless you are given to an extremely dark view of things. But humour is another matter. For followers of India8217;s cricket team especially, self-deprecation has been a survival mechanism as the national eleven keep their perpetual tryst with unpredictability.

A collection of cartoons by Sudhir Dar The Mad, Mad World of Cricket, Penguin India, Rs 125 is thus especially well-timed. It puts together his earlier works on cricket, and in the wit on display, cricket lovers will find a summary of their spectatorship days.

In a week in which ire turned on cricketers in the subcontinent, these cartoons, with their anticipation of defeat and their cutting repartee, are a welcome dose.