Eleven Gods and A Billion Indians Event: Jhulan Goswami's biopic, Gambhir on test cricket and more
Eleven Gods and A Billion Indians, a book which has been marked as a must-read for an Indian cricket fan has garnered the attention of readers with its intriguing content. On Thursday the India leg of the book was completed with its final event at Delhi. Cricketers like Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir graced the event with their presence. The event was also attended by the administrators and the stakeholders of the game.
Amidst the book promotion, Boria Majumdar was keen on focusing on Indian cricket and the happenings in the dressing room or amongst the members of the BCCI. The highlight of the event was the announcement of Jhulan Goswami's biopic. Jhulan has worked tremendously throughout her career and the producers would hope that the people could get inspiration from the tall fast bowler. The event witnessed cricketers and the administrators making various comments.
Vinod Rai on D/N tests
Vinod Rai, the chief of the CoA when asked about day-night tests responded in the best possible way. Later this year the Indian side will travel to Australia for a test series. Cricket Australia wanted the Indian side to play a day-night test at Adelaide but the BCCI rejected the offer due to which Adelaide will witness its first-day test match in four years.
“Any team, in any sport, when they enter the ground, don’t they enter to win the game? What is wrong with that?,” It has been decided that a Day-Night Test match will only be played when the two Boards agree, there is no ICC clause that one has to play,” said Rai.
“When my captain and coach come and say, ‘I want to be prepared better before I play’, why should I not support them? It’s a decision (Day-Night cricket) which has not been considered properly. I will go entirely with the preparation of my team and not listen to anybody".
“I am proud of my team, they play aggressive and entertaining cricket. Of course, we want to win.”
Gautam Gambhir on Test cricket
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was unhappy about the lack of publicity of test cricket. Gambhir believes that the BCCI has not marketed test cricket on a higher stage."I don't think BCCI has marketed Test cricket as well as they have done with ODIs and T20s. I remember a Test match at Eden Gardens against West Indies (in 2011). India batting on the first day and there were 1000 people," Gambhir said.
Harbhajan Singh and co-host Vikrant Gupta talked about taking test cricket to tier two cities and how the BCCI has helped test cricket to flourish in unfamiliar grounds like Ranchi and Indore. The southpaw answered straight as he always does, "I don't know but they have messed it somewhere. Maybe cut down on T20s and ODIs,". He reckoned that taking test cricket to tier two cities is a hardly a solution to market test cricket. He also talked about giving importance to the format and reducing the ticket prices.
Technological Advancements
Technology has changed with time and its effect has already found its place in cricket. Multiple camera angles, stump mics, the drones, all of them have come to life in the last few years. The 2017 Champions Trophy saw another massive change with a microchip being inserted in bats. The chip helped the viewers to know the bat speed and also helped the coaches to analyze better. Images from the chip are downloaded into the computers via a software.
The technology is expected to go one step further with the introduction of a new helmet in the near future. The helmet will help the physio and the nutritionist to see the sweat of the players from their computer screens. They will be able to differentiate between different minerals and during the drinks break the player can get the preferred drink accordingly. This advancement will be useful for the players as it will decrease the risk of dehydration and fatigue.
Jhulan Goswami's biopic
The leading wicket-taker in women's one-day international Jhulan Goswami was elated in the event as her biopic was announced. The 35-year-old's story is all set to appear on the big screen. She becomes the fourth Indian cricketer after MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev to have a biopic made on her life. The producers are currently looking for a tall actress of about Jhulan's height.
Her achievements in world cricket have been remarkable. In the event, Harbhajan Singh emphasised on being a fast bowler. "humare ladke thak jaate hai fast bowling karke"(even our boys get tired after bowling fast). The off-spinner along with Suresh Raina heaped praises on the duo of Mithali and Jhulan. The pacer recalled the time when she used to sit at the boundary and throw back the ball to her brother who played cricket.
The women's IPL is one step closer as the women's T20 challenge match has been announced. The match will feature 26 players including 10 international stars from Australia, England and New Zealand. It will be played ahead of the VIVO IPL 2018 Qualifier 1 In Mumbai.
Reviewing the Book
It's a tough task to write a book consisting of 500 pages but Boria Majumdar has delivered the perfect recipe for an Indian cricket fan. For an Indian fan of our generation, it's important to know of the events which happened during the previous phases. This insight into Indian cricket makes the book a must-read.