Review of The Lords of Wankhede by W.V. Raman and R. Kaushik: Cover drive

Indian cricket's journey from 1932 to 2011 is recounted in ‘The Lords of Wankhede’. It covers the triumphs, growth, tumult, crisis, heroes and dodgy characters that shaped the sport. Kaushik and Raman's nuanced take on events and people is enlivened with sardonic insights. It covers the World Cup win, Gavaskar's retirement, Tendulkar's debut, Eden Gardens miracle, IPL and more. A must-read for those interested in Indian cricket.

Indian cricket’s steady gait from 1932 transformed into a giant leap when Kapil Dev held aloft the World Cup at Lord’s in 1983. It was the sport’s tipping point as a transfer of power from the West Indies to other nations looked possible, with India having the first-mover advantage.

Indian cricket too grew exponentially in three zones: skills, achievements and commerce. When M.S. Dhoni hit Nuwan Kulasekara for the winning six in the 2011 World Cup final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, another glorious chapter was scripted.

The triumphs, growth, tumult, crisis, heroes and a few dodgy characters that permeated Indian cricket from 1983 to 2011, needed a further exposition. The Lords of Wankhede does that with veteran sports writer R. Kaushik and former India player W.V. Raman joining hands to pen their collective memories, observations and anecdotes of those intervening years that witnessed India’s progress as a cricketing power.

The book isn’t exactly a cut and dry chronological retelling of those years gone by but a nuanced take on events and people, who shaped Indian cricket. This is Kaushik’s voice enlivened with the sardonic insights that Raman is known for. “Through a happy mixture of accident and design, in 1983 India had the perfect team for the conditions that existed in England,” the authors reflect on the dream run in the World Cup’s third edition.

Later, it gets into twilights (Sunil Gavaskar’s retirement) and sunrises (Sachin Tendulkar’s debut); glory days (1985 World Championship win in Australia) and corruption’s stench (match-fixing, 2000); miracles (Eden Gardens, 2001) and grief (2007 World Cup), and truth be told, the list is exhaustive. “To weigh the success of the IPL against the barometer of financial riches alone is doing grave injustice to a breeding ground of future superstars,” the authors observe towards the end.

It helps that Kaushik has reported exhaustively from the mid-1990s till date, while Raman has been the quintessential insider, graduating from playing to coaching and commentary. Barring the rare error, this book is essential reading for all those interested in the tides that influenced Indian cricket.

The Lords of Wankhede; W.V. Raman, R. Kaushik, Rupa, ₹395.