- Paperback: 344 pages
- Publisher: Picador; 2 edition (15 July 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330439790
- ISBN-13: 978-0330439794
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
664,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #28 in Books > Sports, Hobbies & Games > Cricket > International > India & Pakistan
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Product Description
Ramachandra Guha
'A most impressive book by a hugely talented writer.'
Livingit.com
Rahul Bhattacharya's Pundits from Pakistan - is one of the 'great cricket reads'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a welcome change from the usual run-of-the mill books about Indian cricket. This, along with John Wright's "Indian Summers" are among the best books on Indian cricket.
This book tells the story of India's tour of Pakistam in 2003-04, in which they achieved unprecedented victories in the Test and ODI series. All the matches are covered in detail along with scorecards and statistics. But the book is valuable for its detailed descriptions of present-day Pakistan-a bit superficial, but still very readable.
We look forward to more from this writer-although India's cricket standing has gone down a bit since this epic tour.
This book tells the story of India's tour of Pakistam in 2003-04, in which they achieved unprecedented victories in the Test and ODI series. All the matches are covered in detail along with scorecards and statistics. But the book is valuable for its detailed descriptions of present-day Pakistan-a bit superficial, but still very readable.
We look forward to more from this writer-although India's cricket standing has gone down a bit since this epic tour.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A cricketing masterpiece
14 Mar 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Bhattacharya's Pundits from Pakistan is a quite delectable read. It is the story of India's tour of Pakistan in 2003-04 - a series of 3 tests & 5 ODI matches - the atmosphere is charged, the historicity is palpable, & cricket matches find themselves elevated beyond regular sporting contests & become meaningful to the ideas of individual accomplishments & national aspirations.
It is the story of the delightful Abdul Qadir, the tale of the Kaneria family, the growing up of the Rawalpindi express, the Lahori view of the cricketing world, & provincial ambitions fighting for their place in the cricketing limelight. It is the story of administrative goof-ups, of a beleaguered captain & his hometown, of incredible hospitalities strewn into the fabric of daily grind & disarray.
And the matches themselves, as they play out, fit into this frenzy of expectations & hopes, rising & receding, swaying like a slightly drunken man & vacillating like a question of philosophy. There is disparaging annhilation, & there is tantalizing swing. There is collapse & there is a clinical chase. There is the hidden Dravid double century & the hotly debated Dravid declaration. Pakistan topped the ODI batting & bowling aggregates & lost; India topped the test batting & bowling averages & won.
For those of you who are interested in cricket beyond the strokes & adrenalin, I'd recommend this book very highly.
It is the story of the delightful Abdul Qadir, the tale of the Kaneria family, the growing up of the Rawalpindi express, the Lahori view of the cricketing world, & provincial ambitions fighting for their place in the cricketing limelight. It is the story of administrative goof-ups, of a beleaguered captain & his hometown, of incredible hospitalities strewn into the fabric of daily grind & disarray.
And the matches themselves, as they play out, fit into this frenzy of expectations & hopes, rising & receding, swaying like a slightly drunken man & vacillating like a question of philosophy. There is disparaging annhilation, & there is tantalizing swing. There is collapse & there is a clinical chase. There is the hidden Dravid double century & the hotly debated Dravid declaration. Pakistan topped the ODI batting & bowling aggregates & lost; India topped the test batting & bowling averages & won.
For those of you who are interested in cricket beyond the strokes & adrenalin, I'd recommend this book very highly.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Sheer reading pleasure
31 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
Strangely as a book on sports, this book is a poignant read- more so because of the circumstances of the present rather than the happenings in the book. The book is about, a really good attempt at friendship, an act of faith. While I write the review Mumbai has been attacked, Pakistan is on the brink of disaster and the bickering doesn't seem to stop. This book should be mandatory reading.
The book is set in 2004 with India coming off a high of sorts recording a test win in Australia. The Indian team was set to visit Pakistan for a historic series as a sign of thawing of relationships. Pakistan had an awesome record against India and the series promised to be enthralling. The book - part travelogue, part history and for the most part sports captures every moment in lyrical prose.
The book begins with the unveiling of the preparations for the tour, furious debates on security, high handedness and showdowns galore before the party kicks off. Endless queues to get visas and finally the author sets foot in Pakistan and here's where the poetry starts. Quaint characters populate the book, there is loads of hospitality showered and the author uses his connections to reach out to the powers that matter behind Pakistani cricket. The matches - each of them epics by themselves is the stuff of DVD memorabilia by itself(there are classics from Inzamam, VVS, Dravid and Sehwag with the bat, Balaji , Shoaib and Irfan with the ball), but what clicks with the reader is the descriptions of life on the street, the remarkable richness of the culture described. Some of the interviews are downright hilarious- Abdul Quadir at his bombastic best, Shoaib Akhtar shooting his mouth off, but incredibly interesting is the visits to a Sufi Urs, the Wagah border face off.
The book is a gem- an intricate weave, and would rank as one of the best works of sports writing. I wonder if the gates ever open again as wide as it did during this series, but am thankful that this book got smuggled through. If everyone reads it wounds may heal again
The book is set in 2004 with India coming off a high of sorts recording a test win in Australia. The Indian team was set to visit Pakistan for a historic series as a sign of thawing of relationships. Pakistan had an awesome record against India and the series promised to be enthralling. The book - part travelogue, part history and for the most part sports captures every moment in lyrical prose.
The book begins with the unveiling of the preparations for the tour, furious debates on security, high handedness and showdowns galore before the party kicks off. Endless queues to get visas and finally the author sets foot in Pakistan and here's where the poetry starts. Quaint characters populate the book, there is loads of hospitality showered and the author uses his connections to reach out to the powers that matter behind Pakistani cricket. The matches - each of them epics by themselves is the stuff of DVD memorabilia by itself(there are classics from Inzamam, VVS, Dravid and Sehwag with the bat, Balaji , Shoaib and Irfan with the ball), but what clicks with the reader is the descriptions of life on the street, the remarkable richness of the culture described. Some of the interviews are downright hilarious- Abdul Quadir at his bombastic best, Shoaib Akhtar shooting his mouth off, but incredibly interesting is the visits to a Sufi Urs, the Wagah border face off.
The book is a gem- an intricate weave, and would rank as one of the best works of sports writing. I wonder if the gates ever open again as wide as it did during this series, but am thankful that this book got smuggled through. If everyone reads it wounds may heal again
5-star product with 1-star Marketplace experience
19 July 2011
Format:Paperback
This book is difficult to find, and I purchased it as a present. It was shipped from a publisher in New Delhi, and I will restrict my comments here to the book itself, other than to say that the Marketplace experience was poor (including no notification of a very delayed shipment), and amazon.com's response to it was suboptimal.
The recipient is enjoying the book, and the quality of the book itself (printing, cover, visuals) is very good. If you are searching for this book, expect that it will take 6-8 weeks to receive it successfully. As you might expect from other comments, Mr. Bhattacharya's writing is detailed and evocative.
The recipient is enjoying the book, and the quality of the book itself (printing, cover, visuals) is very good. If you are searching for this book, expect that it will take 6-8 weeks to receive it successfully. As you might expect from other comments, Mr. Bhattacharya's writing is detailed and evocative.
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