SMG served Sunny side up

SMG A biography of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar by Devendra Prabhudesai does not merely contribute to Indian cricket literature

SMG A biography of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar by Devendra Prabhudesai does not merely contribute to Indian cricket literature. It's a book that needed to be written to celebrate, document and elaborate the achievements of one of India's biggest heroes.

In this age of Tendulkars and Yuvrajs; Dravids and Dhonis, the knowledge of our young cricket enthusiasts is nothing to be proud about. Especially when you hear local cricket coaches talk about their young wards knowing Gavaskar only as a commentator and not for his turf heroics. Sad indeed!

Prabhudesai has done well with the research for his labour of love and has interviewed several personalities in the game for anecdotal inputs.

Yajurvindra Singh, who played in the late 1970s relates how his roommate (yes, players used to share rooms in those days) Gavaskar, prepared the night before he belted a double hundred against Mike Brearley's Englishmen in the Oval Test of 1979. Gavaskar told his partner that it was a pitch "ideal for a double hundred." His 221 ended up as a cricketing epic, which sadly ended when victory was just a few runs away.

Gavaskar ended the 1982 tour of England with a broken ankle. Here Ian Botham signs his cast

Just like Sunny Days, Gavaskar's first book, this one has pages that are inspirational. In many ways, Gavaskar's international cricket story is fairytale-like a great start and a gallant end. The little man from Mumbai is one of the few cricketers in the world who put a full stop to his career when he could well have gone on and added a paragraph if not a page. The case of Gavaskar keeps reminding us that retiring on a high has long gone out of fashion.

The master cricketer's post-playing days have been critical. He's had an eventful stint as an administrator. The International Cricket Council was not impressed when the Indian chaired a critical technical committee and aired his views on world cricket at the same time. Gavaskar stuck to his media commitments.

The book does not compete with other recently released books when it comes to controversies that Gavaskar has been involved in recently.

It is here where Prabhudesai's extensive work may fall short for some. Apart from that, SMG has all the makings of an ideal read.

SMG A Biography of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar by Devendra Prabhudesai has been published by Rupa & Co. Available at all leading bookstores, Rs 395

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