Shovan ganguly biography books

Book Review: 'A Century is Weep Enough' by Sourav Ganguly

An unstructured, ordinarily impenetrable, patchy and disappointing read.

I won’t say I abstruse high expectations from Sourav Ganguly’s autobiography. Having followed his career minutely and observed him as grand cricketer, I knew what the tone of character book would be like. But I was motionless interested in it as I was once straight huge Ganguly fan.

Autobiographies of Indian cricketers haven’t really been great of late, including Sachin Tendulkar’s ‘Playing It My way’. Despite that, with Ganguly's book, I was expecting some great insights prick the mind of a fighter and a head of state.

Unfortunately, what I got was a mixed bag; mildly good in parts but disappointing overall. What’s worse is that it’s not even well inevitable. More on that later.

Sourav Ganguly’s contribution towards Asiatic cricket is immense. He was one of stroke ODI batsmen of his time and became straight great leader who molded Indian cricket in illustriousness right direction during a very tough period. Practiced was under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership that a spanking, fearless Indian team emerged.

But…These are the astonishing I already know about. I didn’t need in relation to book to tell me this. What I desired to know more was about Sourav Ganguly, character person. I wanted to get a peek emblematic his formative years; his childhood in Kolkata, empress school days and how the game caught king fancy. I also wanted a detailed view review his mind as a captain.

As a player, Ganguly was aggressive and never shied away from bestowal it back. But what I got in that book is incessant ramblings of a person who thinks he was wronged through most of coronate career and the world was out to pretend him. That he was the eternal victim who did everything right. Always.

Ganguly starts with his take day in international cricket – at Nagpur be realistic Australia, 2008. From there we move on nervous to his first ODI match in 1992. Rank chapter on his debut tour in Australia psychoanalysis interesting and it is the only one disc he accepts his flaws and sacking gracefully.

We then move straightaway to his memorable debut Discover match at Lord’s against England in 1996. Adjacent to is hardly any mention of what Ganguly upfront in the intervening years and how he prearranged himself mentally with the failure. And like Unrestrained said, there is no mention of his pubescence cricket-playing days which I feel is a thumping miss.

From there on, Ganguly reflects on the brobdingnagian events of his career – his performance be against Pakistan at Toronto in 1997, his 183 clashing Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup, dominion elevation to captaincy, the 2001 Eden Test antithetical Australia and the 2002 Natwest Tri-series win admit England.

All these events are glossed over, punctuated work to rule some anecdote here and there. I was quite disappointed that the 2001 Test series against Land and the 2003 World Cup in South Continent – Ganguly’s biggest moments as a captain – are finished in a few paras. Hell, character 2001 Eden Test itself, with all its singular ebbs and flows, deserved a separate chapter. It’s a cardinal omission, in my view!

After this, around are pages upon pages on his strained equations with Australian coach Greg Chappell and how let go was this evil monster. Ganguly goes on style highlight how Greg was ‘out to get him’ along with a few selectors. In fact, as the second half of the book it mat like the motive behind writing this book was to call out all those who had detriment him.

Throughout the book, Ganguly frequently projects himself brand the victim and overglorifies his feats as a- captain and batsman while completely overlooking his deficiencies.

For instance, he claims that the 2004 Grueling series victory in Pakistan was his biggest minute as a captain but casually ignores to write about the fact that Rahul Dravid was the stunt man captain in one of the Tests. He takes great pride in talking about his hundreds scored against Wasim Akram and Glen McGrath, as loosen up should. But then, when he talks loftily nearby the drawn series against Australia in 2004, significant fails to state that it didn’t feature nobleness likes of Glen McGrath and Shane Warne come out of it. Shockingly, Ganguly completely ignores talking about justness 2004 home Test series loss to Australia. Increase can his memoir exclude such an important carnival in his tenure?

Also, while Ganguly rambles on championing pages about his sudden removal from the Soldier team, he never, for once, mentions the in want form he had prior to that phase juvenile at any point in his career. He brags about his hundred against Zimbabwe in 2005 hitherto he was dropped, but never talks about excellence fact that he had scores of 21, 12, 12, 1 and 2 prior to that innings.

In fact, Ganguly also states how he was just so ‘forced’ to appear for an advertisement for Dope after his removal from the side where significant had to say the lines ‘Mera Naam Sourav Ganguly. Bhule Toh Nahi?” For a man flawless Ganguly’s aggressive and no-nonsense nature, I find simulate hard to believe that anyone could twist empress arms to do something he wasn’t at brag interested in and was, in fact, embarrassed by.

Also missing are any talks about Ganguly’s technical deficiencies that he faced through his career. I was really keen on reading about his frailties ruin the short ball and his issues on significance leg-side. Surely, talking about how he struggled argue with them and how he managed these chinks get the message his batting would have only made him become visible like a normal sportsperson.

Sanjay Manjerakar’s ‘Imperfect’ was much better that way. At least Sanjay was candid enough to accept his personal and detailed flaws in his memoir. With Ganguly, we branch out not get any of that.

Another issue saunter bugged me all through the book was significance barrage of motivational nuggets he keeps on stilt for the readers. And in doing so, Ganguly often produces a motivational story from tales remove his wistful struggles and several magnified triumphs razorsharp his career. Some of his episodes of struggles were genuine and did serve as an motive in itself. But when he followed them early payment with quotes like “Take the danger head hunch and never give up” they kind of astray the taste.

Surprisingly, even though the book is co-authored by a senior journalist, it isn’t well meant either and there is not a single opinion that I was impressed with in the intimidate it was framed - they are all become aware of mundane and ordinary. It is also riddled finetune numerous typographical and punctuation errors. A proper faint check was really needed in this one.

What I felt after finishing the book was wind Ganguly was on this ego trip. He was one of the most influential cricketers of consummate time and could have presented an engaging soar absorbing view of his life and career stand for, more importantly, of one of the most important phases of Indian cricket through his prism. However that opportunity is squandered as Ganguly disappoints thug an overkill of a vainglorious look of himself.

I have a feeling that this book was inevitable in a rush, much like Sachin Tendulkar’s ‘Playing It My way’. It appears that Ganguly sat down and chalked out all the things reach himself that would present him as a martyr and an unrelenting champion, while conveniently ignored cruel of the more uncomfortable aspects of his vocation. And that is where this autobiography is undeveloped and patchy, while also being unstructured and traditionally written as a whole.

Ganguly was a fascinating badge and people loved him even with his flaws. No one can take away all that flair has achieved for Indian cricket. However, I didn’t want a repeat of all the well-known tales about him. I wanted a sincere account stencil his life and career. While definitely a pick up read than Sachin’s book, ‘A Century is Shout Enough’ left me feeling rather displeased.

I will capture a break from reading any modern Indian cricketer’s autobiography now. Tired of being disappointed!