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Sachin Tendulkar’s experiments with truth

Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography is a bit like his 241 in Sydney. He has ducked bouncers and left deliveries outside the off-stump, even half volleys and full tosses, scoring heavily on the onside playing boring, but safe shots. But should we have expected more, since the book comes too soon after his retirement?  The former cricketer, after all, is still a part of the system he is writing about. Here are the highlights.

MATCH-FIXING

Exercises his right to remain silent

IPL SPOT-FIXING

Expresses his anguish and anger, seeks punishment for the guilty. Doesn’t delve into it  any further.

MONKEYGATE

Sticks to the version known to public, no inside info

BALL TAMPERING AND MIKE DENNESS

Sticks to the version known to public, no inside info


MULTAN DECLARATION

Tendulkar spends considerable amount of ink to justify his displeasure at being left stranded on 194, thanks to the declaration in the Multan Test against Pakistan in 2004 by stand-in captain Rahul Dravid. It is one of the few times in the book where the master goes on the front foot. Tendulkar says he was batting to a plan that was agreed upon by the team management before he went in to bat. And that he was mystified by the declaration. Coach John Wright and injured captain Sourav Ganguly washed their hands of the declaration. Only commentator and former teammate Sanjay Manjrekar stood up to tell Tendulkar the decision was in the interest of the team. One is left wondering if Dravid did it out of any motive.

Tendulkar also cites a previous declaration, at Sydney in Australia, where Dravid apparently delayed declaration to get to his hundred, against skipper Ganguly’s wishes. The innings was called to an end when Dravid was on 91, but Tendulkar not-so-subtly hints the declaration,  when it finally came, was because the batsman was hit on his helmet by a Brett Lee bouncer.

Yes, we take Sachin’s word and believe the two batsmen disagreed and lived happily thereafter. By the way, is Dravid penning his memoirs anytime soon?

THE BIG FIVE

The book is about Tendulkar’s exploits, and rightly so. But it could have had a chapter on the other big players with whom he shared the dressing room, especially in the later part of his career. We don’t see much on the captaincies of Ganguly, Dravid, Kumble and Dhoni, or the craft of Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag and Kumble. These could come in another book.

NUGGETS

For the cricket lover, Tendulkar gives some enjoyable tidbits on how he picked deliveries of rivals and which bowlers troubled him and why. The anecdotes also paint a happy picture of camaraderie within the team.

HUNGER FOR RUNS

Tendulkar makes no bones about his hunger for centuries, which in any case helps the team, he argues. He recounts how he delayed calling off play in a Test against Sri Lanka to reach his hundred. He also tells us how Sangakkara placed fielders to deny him strike to hit a hundred. In one of the Tests, he stops Dhoni and Gary Kirsten from declaring when Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir were in their 70s to reach their hundreds in a match heading to a draw. Both incidentally missed centuries.

DRS

Exercises his right to remain silent

POLITICS WITHIN BCCI

Exercises his right to remain silent

GREG CHAPPELL

Excerpts are already out. Tendulkar minces no words, and obviously no one disputes him on this.
WORLD CUP WIN

The chapter takes us through images that will remain with us forever. It took me back to a night of revelry on the streets of Delhi. The book from here on becomes a bit like his career after the world cup. One is tempted to breeze through the pages. 

THE WRITING

The story-telling takes the form of match reports, going through Sachin Tendulkar’s career sequentially. Mostly, it is like batting on a dead wicket, without many thrills.  The only points where Tendulkar gets us excited is when he talks about Greg Chappell and Multan Test declaration.

VERDICT

An Indian cricket lover can’t ‘not have’ the great Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography. Buy it despite its many pitfalls.