It is ironic that former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra’s book comes at a time when cricket all over the world is struggling to get fans into the stands. Out of the Blue – Rajasthan’s Road To Ranji Trophy is a heart-warming account of how players get over personal and professional setbacks to be champions. It is about the cold, hard world of domestic cricket and how players have to hang on to what they get.
Chopra, who has played for India in 10 Test matches, is an articulate writer — something he proved with his first book and his columns in various newspapers and online portals. If in his first book, Beyond the Blue, Chopra documented how Indian cricket functioned and his journey as a Test player, here he has taken the road less travelled. He tells the story of how an unfancied team – Rajasthan – went on to win the Ranji Trophy.
Chopra, a Delhi boy, played for the Delhi team for more than ten years. However, he was unceremoniously dropped from the team — something about which he wasn’t informed and found out from the newspapers. With no team willing to pick him, it was Rajasthan that took a chance on him.
Chopra says how even after playing cricket for more than a decade, he was nervous and worried about being an “outsider” in the Rajasthan team. The best part about the book is that Chopra tells the stories of players who went on to win the trophy for Rajasthan. So we come to know about Vineet Saxena, a 29-year-old batsman who lost his father, two-month-old daughter and even his parrot in the space of four months. Or how Pankaj Singh, who comes from a small village in Uttar Pradesh, travelled in general compartments to realise his dream. Then there’s Pranay Kumar, who once travelled in a state roadways bus with sheep to reach a venue to play cricket. Some players even performed thankless jobs just to make ends meet but still managed to deliver the goods on the pitch.
While players in domestic cricket barely get enough credit for playing in front of empty stands or have to live in poor conditions, Chopra’s book doesn’t dwell too much on it. In fact, he mentions it very matter-of-factly as if that has become the norm and players have accepted it. He focuses on the individual stories instead, and that is what strikes a chord with the reader. He tells us about players who are not paid much – and if they are lucky enough, they will get a chance to play for India – but are dedicated to their craft because of their love for the game. He puts it quite poignantly, “Sometimes I wonder what sort of love is it that cricket inspires; what makes a man gamble his entire life? While the rich national cricketers get richer, the poor domestic players only get poorer.”
Chopra could have easily had the book centred around himself since his story alone is worth telling. But he doesn’t do that; his heroes are his teammates and the supporting staff of the Rajasthan team. He also describes how domestic cricket works, though he is full of praise for the Rajasthan team and its management, and understandably so. He even talks about how teams travel to far-flung places in a matter of days, from Tripura to Jharkhand and from Goa to Hyderabad. He also explains how domestic cricket is actually run and that makes up some of the interesting parts of the book. He minces no words in saying that the state associations get enough money from the Board of Control for Cricket In India, or BCCI, but they don’t put enough effort. “They indulge in quick-fix solutions and look for interim remedies,” he writes.
It is Chopra’s writing and the stories of the players that make Out of The Blue a delightful read. He could have chosen to write about the plight of domestic cricket, but that would have been something that people are aware of. It is not a rags-to-riches tale either. However, it does read like a fairy tale, and the little stories sprinkled all over make it seem realistic.
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In a way, this is a book for those fans who believe cricket is all about glamour, big money and life in the fast lane. Chopra delves into the not-so-glamorous side of cricket and tells the true story of cricketers who would give everything for a chance to do something they love. It is the story of the underdogs and how they defy all odds – both individually and as a team – to become champions.
OUT OF THE BLUE
Rajasthan’s Road to
Ranji Trophy
Aakash Chopra
Harper Collins
264 pages; Rs 299