1971: The Beginning of India's Cricketing Greatness

Written by Boria Majumdar and Gautam Bhattacharya

Narrated by Shubhankar and Terence D'Souza

1971 was the year that changed Indian cricket forever. Accustomed to seeing a talented but erratic Indian team go from one defeat to another, a stunned cricketing world watched in astonishment as India first beat the West Indies in a Test series on their home turf, and then emerged victorious over England-in England. Suddenly, the Indian team had become a force to reckon with.

Boria Majumdar and Gautam Bhattacharya's book is a thrilling account of the 1971 twin tours, that brings to life the on-field excitement and the backroom drama. Against a canvas that features legends: Pataudi and Wadekar, who captained India to the two sensational series victories abroad; Sardesai, Durani, Viswanath, Engineer, Solkar, Abid Ali; the famed spin quartet of Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan; and a young batsman named Sunil Gavaskar who was making his debut-it is the tale of a young country ready and eager to make an impression on the world stage.

Fifty years later, this is a wonderful book to relive those glory days with.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harper Sport India
• Release date: Sep 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354222443

Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar, a Rhodes scholar, is a historian by training who went to St John's College, Oxford University, to do a DPhil on the social history of Indian cricket in October 2000. His doctorate was published as Twenty-Two Yards to Freedom: A Social History of Indian Cricket in December 2004. He has taught at the universities of Chicago, Toronto and La Trobe where he was the first distinguished visiting fellow in 2005. He was also a visiting fellow at Trinity College, University of Cambridge in 2009.