Hello Friends,
This year so far has been a memorable year for Indian cricket. Men's team started the year by winning ICC Champions trophy which was their second successive ICC title after their win in last year's T20 World cup. And now women's team has created history by winning their maiden ODI World cup title to make this year their own. This year is also memorable as three of Indian men's cricket's stalwarts decided to hang up their boots completely or partially. Virat Kohli(Tests), Rohit Sharma(Tests) & R Ashwin( All formats) said goodbye to their beloved sport and passed the baton to the next generation. Retirements in Indian cricket specially for the big names have always been a trending topic with an anticipation that new revelations will come through now by the retired player.
Though Virat, Rohit & Ashwin's retirements grabbed many headlines throughout the year there was one more gentleman( A gentleman in truer sense) who too hung up his boots but without much noise. This cricketer I am talking about has been a silent warrior for India in test cricket for more than a decade. Any guesses? Recently his memoir has been published. Just like him his memoir too did not make much of a noise, rather quietly grabbed a place in the bookstands. What makes this memoir even more interesting is the fact that it is written by none other than the cricketer's wife. Let's talk about this inspiring cricketing journey in our today's book review.
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| The Diary Of A Cricketer's Wife |
Cheteshwar Pujara has been that unsung hero for Indian cricket predominantly in red ball cricket who has not only won many matches for India with his exemplary run scoring ability but also saved some of the memorable test matches with his unmatchable determination. In a world where six hitters are applauded for their heroics in the shortest format of the game, this blue eyed cricketer from Saurashtra inked his name in the history books by taking test match batting to a different level altogether. Surprisingly his omission from the team or retirement didn't create that buzz among fans which could be seen in the case of Virat or Rohit (Click here for my previous article on Pujara's retirement) . Pujara's memoir named The Diary Of A Cricketer's Wife gives that impression that not all stories need to be loud to be heard or noticed. Let's now dive deep into this extremely courageous journey.
Name Says It All
Title of the book is kind of an indicator that it's a cricketing journey seen from a wife's eyes. Towards the end of the book it was revealed that it was Cheteshwar's suggestion to his wife to convert her journals to a memoir through which his journey can be shared with the world. Once you read this book you will realize how beautifully a cricketing story has been shared.
Another interesting fact as per the admission of the author herself is she has never been a cricket enthusiast before her marriage. But as the narration progresses her growth in understanding the nitty- gritty of cricket and related terminologies is clearly visible through her writing.
What's Different
This is a memoir different from its contemporaries in many aspects. A different style of storytelling can be visible in the narration where incidents occur one after another but seems like multiple plots are running simultaneously. The narration starts with how the marriage talks of Cheteshwar & Puja started and eventually turned into a lifelong off the field partnership. Further chapters subsequently cover his journey as a cricketer including all the ups & downs, heartbreaks, disappointments, criticisms, pain of loosing a parent and all the hard earned success.
More than talking about various cricketing achievements or individual milestones what this book reveals about Pujara the person is his off the field personality. His calmness, unmatchable focus & determination on the cricket field was witnessed by all of us many a times but is he the same character off the field too? This book answers that. Some of the aspects which have been constant in different phases of his life have found a place in the narration multiple times. Firstly a father-son bonding which is more of a teacher & student kind of relation. The stories reveal how involved senior Pujara was in his son's cricketing career just to see his Chintu fulfilling all those dreams that probably he couldn't. Parents play a crucial role in shaping their kids' careers, but Arvind Pujara's sacrifices & dedication for his son's cricketing career has been an extraordinary one.
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| Cheteshwar Pujara Image credit: NAPARAZZI, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons |
Cheteshwar's spiritual beliefs served him well throughout be it in professional or personal life. His beliefs have been a major factor behind that unbelievable calmness that makes him a standout personality on & off the field. His mother's influence & the severe effect of her demise has been portrayed nicely in various chapters.
Lot of credit to the author for presenting a perfect blend of on & off the field happenings from a modern day cricketer's life. Several personal life incidents which required extremely delicate balancing acts have been narrated and how the Pujara family handled all those ensuring cricket is not compromised is a pleasure to read.
Some of the aspects which generally are expected in a cricketer's memoir are not that prominent over here. Cheteshwar's off the field bonding with fellow team mates or some memorable incidents involving team mates not discussed in the book. Though chapters on Cheteshwar's friend Kuldeep or Puja's bonding with Ashwin's wife Preethi are a treat to read, not much has been shared on his camaraderie with fellow cricketers. One more interesting aspect that can very well be noticed in the book is that the author has tried not to fuel any kind of controversy through any of the narrations.
Should You Go For It
Though as a wife her disappointment is evident when her husband was dropped from the team or was not given due credit for his efforts, she has never gone overboard or exaggerated any particular incident. Author deserves a lot of credit for bringing out such a multi-faceted journey which has so many ups & downs in such a nice manner. As a first time author she has done a fabulous job. No exaggeration, no controversial statement, just pure facts blended with emotions. Though some of the incidents during the cricket tours seemed to be a bit elaborated but that also shows how she has brought her heart out to this writing. Overall it's a simple narration of rather an extraordinary cricketing journey. You might have read quite a few cricketing biographies or memoirs. I am sure this one would be an interesting addition to that list.
Image Credit: amazon.in
Personal Recommendations (Cricketers' Memoir/Autobiography)
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