The Tao Of Cricket: On Games Of Destiny And The Destiny Of Games (oxford India Paperbacks)

Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the British, says Ashis Nandy, defying history, in this delightful and original book. It includes analysis of the game and profiles of legendary figures such as W.G. Grace, Douglas Jardine, and Ranjitsinhji. "Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the English, says Ashis Nandy, defying history, in this delightful, original book. He shows how a game that was once identified with the British empire, and was the exclusive preserve of the Victorian gentry, is now more South Asian than English. Aside from a brilliant analysis of the philosophy and rituals of the game, he treats the reader to intriguing psychological profiles of legendary figures of the world of cricket such as W.G. Grace, Douglas Jardine and Ranjitsinhji. As a bonus, there are masterly analyses of detective fiction and popular film and their parallels to cricket. The author also examines the increasing gamesmanship in cricket and the sneaking entry of the modern urban-industrial ethic and mass culture into a game that thrived on its ability to be a living critique of modern life. He argues that the demise of traditional cricket, a game which is more than just a game, may mean the defeat of the idea of the plurality of cultures and the final victory of the modern ideas of nation-state and market." "This is a book on cricket that ceases to be so after a point and becomes an informal but systematic analysis of worldviews, ideologies, cultural exchanges and political choices. It is also arguably Nandy's most ambitious book and the one that comes closest to being a statement of his personal philosophy and political credo."--Jacket Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the British, says Ashis Nandy, defying history, in this delightful book. He treats us to meditations on the history, philosophy, and results of the game, as well as intriguing psychological profiles of some of its greatest players. He also extends his analysis to the modern urban-industrial ethic and mass culture. Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the British, says Ashis Nandy, defying history in this original book. He analyzes the popular game and profiles legendary figures such as W.G. Grace, Douglas Jardine and Ranjitsinhji.