Wisden on India: An anthology

by Jonathan Rice

Throughout its long and distinguished history, Wisden has reported on Indian cricket around the world and commented on its highs and lows. One of the first references to a touring Indian cricket side was in 1889: 'Perhaps the most notable feature of the tour was the wonderfully successful bowing of Mr Pavri, who took 170 wickets at a cost of under 12 runs each'.

For a time, India enjoyed a golden age of cricket, largely through Lord Hawke's tours in the 1890s and then buoyed up by the exploits of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji who was chosen as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1897. But there were set-backs to come, such as the team's 1953 'Worst Start in Test Cricket' which saw Trueman scythe through their top order at Headingley to leave the team in disrepair at 0 for 4 wickets after 14 balls. Recent decades have seen formidable players such as Ganguly, Laxman, Sehway, Dravid and Tendulkar lift India's game to great heights, making them a force to be reckoned with.

This anthology charts the progress of India through Wisden's pages, using match reports, articles, notes, obituaries and illustrations to bring this extraordinary team - and their equally extraordinary nation - to vivid and delightful life.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 18, 2011

Reviews

[Jim Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wisden on India is an interesting book. It looks at how Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack reported Indian cricket over the years. I don’t know much about Indian cricket, and I’m sure that things would be reported differently now if we could go back in time and report on those early touring teams, but I enjoyed reading about Indian cricket, and how we saw it at the time, all the same.

My one grumble would be that it might read as a little dull in places if you're not into cricket.