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BOOK REVIEW: SACHIN
He is terribly modest, soft spoken with a captivating smile. Standing a trifle taller than Sunny Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar is a universal icon, and an idol for a billion Indians. And few would shoot down the established truth that the master blaster is the most talented and graceful batsman in the world.
For a cricketer, who crossed 20,000 runs in international cricket recently, Sachin has a series of firsts in his kitty, this being his latest feat. Crossing the 20,000 mark was in no stage a far cry for someone who started his cricketing career as a three-year-old toddler, and faced the first ball from his nanny! Today, with incredible accolades under his belt, Sachin�s personality symbolises power, optimism, grit and class.
Gulu Ezekiel�s Sachin is a tribute to the genius we adore as Sachin Tendulkar. The book traces the life of the little master both, on-the-field and off it- and reveals a host of lesser-known facts about India�s former captain.
The author opines that shortly after taking up the cudgels of cricket, the maestro�s inimitable batting style, immaculate sense of timing and accurate placing of the ball made him a name to reckon with. Even under severe pressure, Sachin has had the distinction of keeping a cool head on his shoulders.
In a narrative style, the author unfolds this biography and diligently balances it with interviews with leading cricketers of the past (Sunil Gavaskar, Imran Khan and others), batsmen touted as Sachin�s competitors (Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq for instance) as well as bowlers who both marvel and dread encountering the genius. (Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee to name a few).
The biography is also entertaining as it is substantiated with press reports and photographs that glorify and are significant pointers to the milestones in Tendulkar�s career. Ezekiel tells his readers that the victor�s first love had been cricket from day one and once devoted, there was no looking back for him.
Sachin�s history as depicted by the author is not a simple reportage of Sachin�s career graph but gives instances that tell us about the hero�s iron grit, sober temperament and incredible maturity synonymous with his simple but pleasing personality. Tendliya or Sacchu as he is fondly petnamed by teammates and friends has no air of arrogance about him. To quote the icon, �The moment that I start thinking that I am the best batsman in the world, that will be the end of my career�. As the author reveals Sachin�s stellar performances at home and abroad, we can almost visualise the star playing spectacular shots with sheer effortlessness: be it his favourite straight drive or the stray full toss ball which he relentlessly punishes for an over-boundary.
Sachin�s performances in domestic cricket (mainly the Ranji Trophy), achievements at the school level and his unending accomplishments at the international level have been meticulously recorded in this biography. The highlights of the our champion�s career- be it a moment of celebration or a transitory phase of failure has been presented with such ardour that each chapter makes for delightful reading.
Finally, the book is worth reading since the chapters are racy, well documented and gives details of different cricketing and personal facets of Tendulkar. In other words, the book unveils Sachin-the ace batsman, the thinking bowler and the agile fielder. It also takes a look at those not so illustrious months when Tendulkar captained the Indian team. Though that was a period (Aug'96-Jan�98) when Sachin�s knocks as a batsman entered the record books (maximum number of centuries in one calendar year), it was not a very good year for India as we lost too many matches. And the review would be incomplete without mentioning the fact that the biography also focusses on the personal side of Sachin- of a doting father and a loving husband.
Sachin is indeed a faultless record of Sachin�s achievements, failures and presents his careergraph without any prejudice or bias. If you are a Sachin fan, this is undoubtedly a great book to possess.
Review: Moitrayee Bhaduri.
Design: Suparna Sengupta.
| Sachin Tendulkar Masterful |
by Peter Murray,Ashish Shukla
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| Sensational Sachin |
by Angela Hicks,Miles Davis
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Also check out The Phenomenon-Sachin Tendulkar
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