It was somewhat patronising, but in those early days the talents of the best were not essential to win matches.
Fast forward less than a hundred years and Indian cricket holds the keys to the world game. Some might say holds it to ransome, but the rise of the game in that country and the development of the national side as a cricketing force is beautifully documented here by Mihir Bose, one of the great writers of Indian cricket.
It is, in my opinion, a tour de force. My first cricketing memory of India was the side who won their first series in England in 1971. Beautifully captained by Ajit Wadekar, they had four outstanding spinners, two very good batsmen and a world-class short leg in Eknath Solkar.
In the intervening period they have produced many of the game's greatest players and their names flit across the pages of this majestic read. Bedi, Kapil Dev, Dhoni, Azharuddin, Tendulkar, Kohli... they are all here and the background information and sheer depth of research in this book is quite humbling.
I will confess to being less of a fan of the modern Indian side, with their 'get dirty, look ugly' motto borrowed from Australian sides over the years. It sits at odds with me, having grown up watching their 'gentlemen of the game' over the best part of a half century.
Yet the joy of this book, which goes back to the first Test side of 1932, is how beautifully it traces that history and how we have got to where we are today.
If you know nothing of Indian Cricket history it makes a wonderful starting point.
If you do, it will only add to your knowledge and provide hours of rich entertainment as you read of their feats, trials and tribulations.
A wonderful, engaging read.
The Nine Waves: The Extraordinary Story of How India Took Over The Cricketing World is written by Mihir Bose and published by Pitch Publishing
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