In the summer of June 1983, a raw and young Kapil Dev led an ambitious but not so hopeful group of 'Devils' on an unimaginable quest in the land of former colonizers. The team defied all odds to rattle two time world champions at Lord’s and lift the coveted World Cup trophy for the first time. The astonishing victory inspired a cricket revolution in the country and gave a new identity to India on the global stage. Miraculous Men: The Greatest Underdog Story by Nikhil Naz is a nostalgic and entertaining retelling of that watershed moment in Indian sports.
The book is lucidly written and could easily be finished in a single read. The fairytale build up to the final is neatly organized in twenty chapters. The opening chapter sets the tone - how the jubilant scenes after the win inspire a ten-year-old Sachin Tendulkar (a die-hard John McEnroe fan) to professionally pursue cricket. The author delves deep into the campaign highlighting intricate details about the selection conundrum, team dynamics and rifts, dressing-room conversations and on-field tactics.
The author succeeds in recreating that era and connecting the audience with the characters (team members, in this case) through humorous anecdotes and instances. For instance, Yashpal Sharma was fond of almonds and how he would usually bring them from the hotel to have for lunch. Kapil Dev’s admirable leadership skills get due prominence - he was one of the few who believed that India could win while other members took it as a summer vacation. “Yes, we never beat England in one day in England. But there is always a first time” was Kapil’s mantra to the team before their semi-final against England.
The narrative is artfully supplemented with interesting sub-plots - a style of storytelling that keeps you engaged. Mintu Bhatia, an Indian-origin restaurant owner comes to the team’s rescue as the unofficial caterer. While Mintu is a die-hard Indian supporter, his son embraces his British nationality with pride, only to find his way at the end. Jiten Bhai Parekh’s story is more endearing. He is an Indian running a grocery store in a foreign land who struggles to meet his finances.
His fortune changes when his store gets vandalized by four white men and he decides to bet the insurance money on India, despite their odds being at 66:1, and ends up winning a handsome amount. Jiten Bhai’s daughter even manages to arrange a ticket for the final. These stories provide context to the momentous victory and how it changed the perception of Indians across the globe. Ayaz Memon, a journalist with Mid-Day and eighteen-year-old Rajdeep Sardesai, then a club cricketer in England, also make appearances and add depth to the narrative.
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The highlight of the book is the Tu(r)nbridge Wells chapter. It presents a compelling account of India’s quarter-final match against Zimbabwe and Kapil’s epic knock of 175 which included seventeen 4’s and six 6’s. What makes it even more appealing is the fact that there is no visual recording of the match as the broadcasters BBC deemed the match insignificant for coverage.
Kapil’s act of resurgence after India was down at 17-5 has been recreated with utmost finesse. For someone who has only heard about the magical innings through various articles and stories, this account transports me back in time and helps me cherish the golden moments of Indian cricket.
To conclude, Miracle men is a captivating story of dreams, belief and accomplishment, presented with utmost simplicity and sincerity. It promises to be an enjoyable read for an Indian cricket fan - to trace the events that laid the foundation for India becoming the cricket powerhouse that it is today. For anyone who is not into sports or cricket, this is the perfect book to get introduced to the infectious world of sports.
Miracle Men is written by Nikhil Naz and published by Hachette India.
You can buy the book here.
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