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About heroes and their deeds
HE CAN spin a hundred stories around the 22-yard strip. And then come back to relate a few more. Now ruffling a feather, now merely being honest, Raju Mukherji is not every man's idea of a cricket writer.
They are supposed to be goodie-goodie guys, singing a few praises, penning a few eulogies, and maybegiving a sneak peek into the dressing room gossip.
Mukherji has demolished more than a handful of stereotypes. To begin with, he challenges the idea that cricket was born in England that the British brought it here.
He has proof of its existence in India since the Vedic Age and quoted examples from the Mahabharata!
Interestingly, he reveals that according to the ICC, "India's first Test was in 1932. All Tests before that were unofficial. The ICC was formed in1909. In that case all the Tests before that between Australia and England should be unofficial. No one takes it up, and all the Tests between 1878 and 1909 are regarded as official. I am working on the next book on the subject.
" Mukherji has also penned profiles of icons, ranging from Vijay Hazare and M.L. Jaisimha to Dilip Vengsarkar to Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman.
On Azharuddin
But there is one man he has left out: Mohammed Azharuddin. "Azhar was my favourite right from the time he cracked a double hundred in a first class match at Dhanbad. Azhar was a man I loved and admired. However, due to the match fixing controversy, I had to leave him out with great regret."
Mukherji cannot be faulted. He has talked of our heroes, and only heroes. Like a hero.
ZIYA US SALAM
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