To most Indian cricket
fans, Sanjay Manjarekar remains a player who couldn't quite do justice to his
potential. Dravid eventually became what many believed Manjarekar was meant to
be. It's a refreshingly candid and breezy autobiography.
He talks frankly about
everything that was wrong with Indian cricket in the late 1980s and through
most of the 90s - the culture of seniority and fear in the team, the (absolute
lack of) captaincy skills(?) of Azaruddin, a passing mention of the arrogant
attitude with which Kapil Dev used to conduct himself, the fun Sanjay used to
have seeing some arrogant seniors quake on their boots on the bouncy pitches
abroad and the terrible administration by bcci back then.
In contrast, he talks
with great respect about Imran Khan, the captain and feels his career would
have been completely different if he had a mentor like Imran.
Manjarekar also writes
in detail about the difficult relationship he shared with his father, the great
Vijay Manjarekar, his personal struggles as a player, with temperament and
technique. In present times, he's thoroughly kicked about his commentary stint,
though I'm not sure how much viewers enjoy it. I for one, don't 😀
All in all, a nice read for a cricket buff. #Imperfect #bookreview
