Why the book?

I had a contract signed with a book publisher in 2014. Post the success of my first book, 'Not Quite Cricket', they insisted I write another book. However, I didn't write anything then.

Soon after, I got to know about a Bangalore-based organisation, 'The New India Foundation' and their fellowship program which invites book proposals on Indian history, culture, and socio-political issues, and several prominent Academicians and Scholars like Ramachandra Guha and Srinath Raghavan are associated with it along with many more.

Since I spent my childhood in Kashmir, I am myself a Kashmiri Pandit, my life in Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana, and alongside covering cricket, I had seen a lot and had stories that haven't been told yet, so I decided to write a memoir.

I applied for the fellowship program. The fellowship gave a generous amount, and let's face it, publishing a book comes with its challenges. So I thought this fellowship would aid my book writing.

In 2017, I got selected for the program, and then finally I got down to writing it and the rest, as we all know, is history.

The book was published in the year 2021. Whether you are a cricket enthusiast or interested in Indian history, this book is just the right read.

At the core of the book is chapter dedicated to the late Tiger Pataudi, the result of hours spent with my 'childhood hero'.

He was an influential captain of the team in the 1960s-70s. I had him on tape, I did my homework. I wanted to write about him. He had an interesting life, being a Nawab, losing one of his eyes, and becoming the captain at just the age of 21. Yet, the book never came out. So I decided to use these recordings in my memoir and wrote a separate chapter on him.

(As told to Sanya Tyagi)

To be continued…..