Vedam Jaishankar - Courage, Conviction, Controversy and Cricket

Courage, Conviction, Controversy and Cricket

Courage, Conviction, Controversy and Cricket is Vedam Jaishankars third book. His first book, Rahul Dravid, A Biography went into multiple editions and was translated into multiple languages. His second book, Casting A Spell: The Story of Karnataka Cricket is the most definitive book on cricket in Karnataka.

In a career of three decades and more, Vedam Jaishankar has covered cricket in all the six continents. He has worked for major newspapers, The Times of India, Indian Express, Deccan Herald, etc. His articles have appeared in many reputed publications including Wisden, Sportstar, The Spin, DNA, Mans World, etc. and in many online portals like Swarajya, Sulekha, MSN, Cricwizz, CricketforIndia, etc. He writes regularly for Indias most widely-read diverse portal, Firstpost.

Vedam Jaishankar is an award-winning journalist and often appears on various television channels, Times Now, Republic, Mirror Now, News 9, etc. He also teaches at the National School of Journalism and is a sought-after speaker at public and corporate events. His interests include history, heritage, travel, current affairs and golf.

First published in Westland Sport by Westland Publications Private Limited

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Copyright 2020 Vedam Jaishankar

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 9789389648065

CONTENTS

I have never been away from cricket ever since I started playing the game, as a child, over four decades ago. I got my breaks early and after a long and satisfying international playing career, as I was ready to hang up my boots an entirely new avenue opened up.

I became a television commentator and was privileged to travel to different shores and enjoy another perspective of the game. Then came my stint as the Indian team coach, which has not only brought different pressures but has also given new insights into the challenges that cricket brings.

Thus, when I was asked to do this foreword for a book it brought back memories of the very theme of this book: courage, conviction and controversy.

It reminded me of days spent against the most fearsome fast bowlers the world has seen; of days when you wake up and smell the leather; of days when living life in the fast lane meant facing the truth of courage with the odds against you.

Professional cricket is a tough game and a career as player, commentator and coach goes through many vicissitudes. Season after season, you are either put under the scanner or are experiencing dizzying elation. There is never a dull moment.

International cricket is hard fought and not a single inch is ceded. Naturally, this leads to emotional outbursts of irrational proportions that sometimes take controversial tones. But there are administrators and laws to ensure that the spirit of the game is upheld. Occasionally, even that is breached.

Having been a witness or been involved as player, coach or commentator when some of these transgressions took place I had a ringside view of the pain, anger and frustration during and even after the moments.

The book is not just about controversies. In terms of chronicling the chasms that players and teams of different generations have straddled, the book does a great job of putting together well-worn anecdotes that contain references to moments that have now forever been etched into the games DNA.

In recent times, controversies were sometimes driven by TRPs. But there are also some genuine ones, which is the reason I was impressed by the choice of controversies in the book. A lot of thought and research has gone into the choice of events and the calibre of personalities quoted.

Cricket at the end of the day is also about courage and conviction. These give the game and those playing it character. Im very glad that the author chose to go with these conscientious topics too. It shows appreciation of the nuances of the sport and what it takes to make memorable characters.

Vedam, Ive known since my Ranji Trophy and international cricket days. He has travelled widely to cover the game and weve had many interesting interactions. He thinks of the game with a deep passion and feel for it. He has his heart in the right place and calls the game as he sees it.

Cricket is all about partnerships, whether batting or bowling. Im glad that this book is also all about partnership between author, publisher and others.

Finally, the history of the game is littered with incidents, from Trevor Chappells notorious underarm delivery to the fourth West Indies-India Test at Kingston in 1976 when our five batsmen were hurt, to the recent incidents. This book caters to the many aspects of cricket: the good, the valorous and at times, even the paradoxical. I had a great time reading it. So will you.

RAVI SHASTRI

Indian Cricket Teams National coach, former Indian cricketer, celebrated media professional

C ricket can whip up fiery emotions in players, media, boards and fans like few other sports. Bodyline, threats of making opponents grovel, match-fixing, ball doctoring, monkey chants, underarm bowling, the Packer circus are only some of the times when passions were virulently aroused across the spectrum.

Cricket, flush with incidents and personalities, is always an engrossing topic for discussion. The real cricket aficionado gets hours of pleasure deliberating on the exploits of his heroes or his team. Only those who have engaged in this exercise over endless cups of coffee, tea, mugs of beer or whatever they imbibe know what a matchless source of delight this could be. No wonder the great West Indian writer of an earlier era, C.L.R. James, so superbly paraphrased it: What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?

No incident is too small; for it is the collection of these thousands of small incidents that lends an aura to the game.

Indeed it was cricket discussions that led to seeding the idea for this book. Some of the discussions took place in media enclosures where many journalists had their concept of right and wrong. A few others paradoxically sounded like fans.

Having covered plenty of international and domestic cricket in many parts of the globe, and of course, the razzmatazz of IPL, one common thread experienced in the many discussions was controversies in the sport.

These controversies, over selections, ball-tampering, match-fixing, spot-fixing, umpiring, administration, incidents on and off the field, never seemed to end. Each would overlap into the other to make it seem like one long saga of a never-ending issue with the game.

However, now and then tales of heroism, bravery, ambition, steel and fortitude would also be told and re-told, discussed and then get written about in glowing terms.

Then there were instances when one mans conviction carried the day for team and country. Even if it was not always a paying proposition, the fact that an individual was willing to swim against the tide of popular sentiment was to be appreciated. These acts were rare in a team game but they often defined the individual and the sport itself.