Author of the critically-acclaimed book, ‘Spell-Binding Spells’, Anindya Dutta has once again penned down a reverence to the unsung heroes of a cricket match, bowlers. On November 5, Dutta, who is a banker-turned author, unveiled his latest book ‘Wizards: The Story of Indian Spin Bowling’ in Mumbai.
Published by Westland Sport (an imprint of Westland Publications), the book narrates a detailed account of the history of spin bowling in India.
The evening witnessed the presence of former Indian cricketers, Dilip Vengsarkar, Dilip Doshi and Padmakar Shivalkar. Engaging the audience in a captivating conversation, the launch was moderated by renowned cricket commentator, Milind Wagle.
As Anindya launched the book that shared insights and facts of the cricket scenario today, cricketers, Shivalkar, Vengsarkar and Doshi shared their journey in cricket and described why spin has always been a crucial aspect for the Indian side.
Shivalkar even went on narrated the humour-filled tale of his selection as a bowler by the legendary Vinoo Mankad himself to the audience. Despite being an outstanding performer in domestic cricket, the left-arm spinner, Shivalkar never got a call from the national side. However, the humble cricketer said he never regretted not being able to play for India. He said,
I was not destined to bowl for India. I have no regrets really. I played cricket and that is what matters. I was selected to play cricket by Vinoo Mankad. When he asked me to pitch as part of my selection, my vision was in a haze and I did not realise what was happening. After two bowls that hit the poles of the net, I was selected.”
Commenting on the book he said, ”The book is a wonderful read, I have been reading it in breaks so that I don't finish it too quickly.”
Sharing interesting insights from the book, the author said that what remains common to all great spinners is that they are ‘technically perfect’, each of them had their own technique that differentiated them from the rest. When asked about one quality that everyone should pick from the featured bowlers, Anindya shared his thoughts saying humility is something that all the legendary cricketers have had and something that today’s youth should imbibe as well.
Wizards- The Story of Indian Spin Bowling, is the first comprehensive account of Indian spinners and the art of spin bowling. Wizards is a deeply researched piece that attempts to fill an important gap in the literature on the sport, making for an essential addition to every cricket lover’s library.
From the twentieth century to today, this book traces the history of Indian spin bowling and establishes India as the finest nursery for spin bowling in the world of cricket. The book can be purchased at amazon.in.
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