‘Humour in Cricket' book released

It was a very, very special evening by all means. When former India captain Ajit Wadekar formally launched the book ‘Humour in Cricket' authored by Capt. Manohar Sharma at Taramati Baradari on Saturday night, it was a fitting tribute to a gentleman cricketer who may not have played for the country but had the rare privilege of getting together a mix of the current superstars and from the yesteryears – Chandu Borde, Abbas Ali Baig, S. L. Venkatapathi Raju and V. V. S. Laxman – on to the dais for the function at the serene setting.

“I can tell you this book is really special, for it has no rumour but full of humour,” were the opening remarks of Wadekar, who has a special affinity to Capt. Sharma having held senior positions in the State Bank of India besides playing together for Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup.

“And, it is not easy to recollect memories dating back to three decades with precision and rare ability to thrill the readers. To his credit, Capt. Sharma did not fabricate any history,” said Wadekar to the applause of the select gathering.

“This book should help the current generation to learn a few things more about how cricket was played and how much we enjoyed in those days,” he added.

For his part, Laxman said he always held Capt. Sharma in high esteem for his commitment to the game and giving so many opportunities to the young players to get jobs in the SBI.

“And this book should be immensely interesting to all those who are not really well-versed with the other side of cricket- humour,” he remarked.

Both Abbas Ali Baig and Chandu Borde said books like ‘Humour in Cricket” do lift, often drooping spirit of any regular reader because of their freshness to the approach.