Good Shot!

The balance of power has now shifted, and Tendulkar, whenever he plays for Bombay, must feel a bit like Lara in the West Indies team. Among the reasons Bamzai lists in his well-researched book, Shastri’s is the most convincing: that "the city boys have become soft", that cricket talent has to be looked for now in the far-northern suburbs, in Bhayander and Dombivli. The socio-economic characteristics of the Dadar-Mahim-based Maharashtrian middle class that powered Bombay cricket can now be found closer to Virar.

Yet, no other team will ever have such majestic and sustained sway over Indian cricket as Bombay once did. And for its industrious recounting of the saga, from the Parsis to Vinayak Mane, and its analysis of "the Bombay cricketer", this book, though structured a bit confusingly, is a crucial contribution to Indian cricket literature.