For cricket connoisseurs, reading scorecards is a fascinating hobby. An art in itself, the role of the scorer and the statistician is no less important than the player himself. Now, what if you added some colour and juice around ‘dry’ scorecards? What if one told the story of four generations of Indian spinners in 472 pages? Anindya Dutta’s Wizards : The Story of Indian Spin Bowling has been woven out of scorecards, laced with anecdotes spun from an unending and pleochroic yarn of gifted twirlymen. Well researched and authenticated by credible references, there is reason to believe that Indian cricket was as much about bowlers as about batsmen. Pre- and Post-Partition cricket in India is an enchanting story of nationalism and the scourge of untouchability. Dutta captures all this over three sections, chronicling historical and modern events that made Indian spinners a resolute, outstanding breed.