Cricket is treated like a religion in India We Indians wear cricket on our sleeves and it is most watched after game in India. Indian Cricket board is the richest board in world raking in money in billions. Our country is the fastest growing country in terms of population and stands at second position only after China. Despite all this, we are thrashed by minnows which send the entire nation and the board moaning. The unveiling of involvement of world class players like Hansie Cronje and many more in betting who threw matches and sentiments of audience for hefty amounts proves that it is not all about nation and emotion. This billion dollar industry has its story of controversies like betting, recent murder of Pakistan coach, unethical standards of board and the list is endless.

The author is a journalist who writes in Indian Express on sports, primarily Cricket and has spoken about his real life experiences and conversation with Cricketers like Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohinder Amarnath. One thing to which all of them have unanimously agreed is that matches are being thrown for money. This book by Mr. Magazine is an account of controversies which revolve around Cricket. The title of the book, “Not Quite Cricket”, is very apt and it clearly speaks out loud that Cricket is not only about Cricket. There is much more than Cricket which revolves round it. Cricket in India is not played by the players but the mighty board has an upper hand in it. The chief of the board is the most powerful person and even the Captain and selectors are to abide by him. Politics and controversies are so deep rooted in this spiritual game that the chief of Board is not a professional person who is most suited for it but a politician. Across the world, professionals are appointed as chief unlike in India and that is the reason why we lag behind.

The later half of the book deals with the problems and issues which are responsible for poor show of Indian Cricketers in world cup or big matches. In order to get a place in Indian Cricket team, recommendations are more important than skills. When we lose a big match, every body including the players and board starts the blame game. Majority of Cricketers are more interested in endorsements than the game as it fills their coffers with more than what Cricket is paying them. Domestic cricket is completely neglected in the country which is the main reason that we are not producing fundamentally strong and world class players. The cricket board and the players are not running in sync and this makes the situation worse. If cricket has to prosper in our country, we need to take some cue from the professional teams like Australia and the garb of politics should be given away from this holy game.

This book is a must read for Cricket lovers. So far as I am concerned, I gave up watching cricket way back in 1996 world Cup, when we were thrashed in the Semi Finals by Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens. The memory of that shameful event still haunts me which made me literally cry on that day. But this does not mean that all my emotions are dead. I am not watching cricket anymore with that fire in me but still when India wins, my heart goes ga ga ….

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