The most interesting cricket books ever written

Yes, this man who goes by the name of Andrew Flintoff was last seen beating former England captain Michael Atherton at chess. Yes, chess!

Cricket books usually make our reading A-list. They give that exquisite pitch-side thrill. You enjoy reading about a catch as much as having taken the catch yourself. Perhaps most of us enjoy “reading cricket” even more than playing it!

While that is good enough for armchair bowlers and batsmen, budding cricketers (not to forget the professionals) can profit from reading and thereby honing their skills better. After all, cricket is a mind game, and it helps to read what John Wright wrote in the “Indian Summers”. This latest cricket book from one of the most successful coaches teaches a number of new strategies.

Recently, a number of interesting books on cricket have been published. Here are a few of the most interesting ones.

Let us start the list of the best cricket books with one on India’s run machine. Vaibhav Purandare’s “Sachin Tendulkar – A Definitive Biography” puts the Master in perspective. It chronicles not just how Sachin beat his class mate, but how he beat masters at their game on pitches all over the world. Sachin comes through as a determined mind that can make mince meat of records. As already mentioned, careful readers of this book have every chance of gaining useful tips.

Often you come across a one-of-its-kind titbit. Did you know Andrew Flintoff once beat Michael Atherton at chess? That’s remarkable, to put it mildly. Flintoff’s ‘My Life in Pictures’ is a must read for those who want to succeed against odds and injuries. And if one is down in the dumps because of temporary loss of form, this book is the best tonic. The Englishman can fight off the blues for you.

Of all the cricket books you might read, “The Nice Guy Who Finished First” may just be the most emotionally impactful. Devendra Prabhudesai’s biography on Rahul Dravid teaches one how to play hard yet remain nice and clean. And yes, great.

Always wanted a to attend Bob Woolmer’s coaching class but couldn’t afford it? Do the next best thing – read Woolmer’s “Art and Science of Cricket”. Or watch a video made by five greats from West Indies in “Playing Cricket the West Indies Way”.

Would you like to know about the oddities and eccentricities never seen before in public? Boria Majumdar has done it for the first time in his “The Illustrated History of Indian Cricket”. This book is quite stunning.