Parenthetically, one thing I’m curious about is how cricket has been taken up in former British colonies. And anyone who has played backyard or street cricket understands it doesn’t require much to get a game going. Perhaps it’s a game which appeals to Indian sensibilities. It was taken up by people from all walks. India has not so much adapted the sport to their domestic circumstances, but rather cricket has been taken up with some vigour as a means of achieving social cachet, as a means of promoting the interests of particular groups communal, ethnic or social. It is a particularly Indian story, because communal grouping, caste and economic disparity are central to the story. The sub-title is instructive – ‘The Indian History of a British Sport’. Ramachandra Guha is an educated and knowledgeable enthusiast who writes with objective passion about cricket in India. A developing benefit from Guha’s book is the friendships I make on Goodreads with people from India and Indiaphiles. This book changed my literary life- and its influence goes well beyond books and reading.Ī Corner of a Foreign Field fed my growing interest in Indian cricket, introduced me to my favourite author, RK Narayan, sparked a curiosity about Indian literature, society and culture, and ultimately prompted a visit to India.
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