Title: It Wasn’t A Waste of Time
Author: Nikhil D. Samant
Publisher: Leadstart publishing
Genre: Sports, Non-Fiction
First Publication: 2021
Language: English
Book Summary: It Wasn’t A Waste of Time by Nikhil D. Samant
It’s the year 2000. In the month of April, the Delhi Police charge South African cricket team captain Hansie Cronje with match fixing, implicating the Indian team with him. The two devastating words shatter the love, respect and the trust Indian fans have in the beautiful game and its players. Cricket becomes the subject of ridicule and mockery.
Four great men – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman and Anil Kumble – led by the enigmatic Sourav Ganguly, accept the challenge to repair the tarnished image of Indian cricket. Will India’s new captain bring back the charm and respect to India’s first love? Who will take up Ganguly’s mantle?
It Wasn’t a Waste of Time – The Story of the Most Important Decade in Indian Cricket is the story of an emotional journey Indian fans underwent in the first decade of the new millennium. It outlines the most important events, matches and series India participated in, and their impact on Indian cricket itself.
Book Review: It Wasn’t A Waste of Time by Nikhil D. Samant
In It Wasn’t A Waste of Time, Nikhil Samant delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled for Indian Cricket. As a huge fan of ’90s and ’00s cricket players, I can say that this book did not disappoint. This tell-all book follows the dream team of the cricket-India led by such cricket superstars as Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, and Anil Kumble among other hall-of-famers. Here in the book, Nikhil Samant presents his unique insight into the off-the-field shenanigans of some of the greatest cricket stars to ever grace the sport.
The book opens with a match fixing scandal in April 2000, when Delhi police charge South African captain Hansie Cronje with the crime and implicated team India’s involvement in it as well. Indian fans’ love, respect, and trust in their beloved Indian cricket team and its players is shattered by this devastating news. This turns the gentlemen’s game into a laughingstock. Under the captainship of the enigmatic Sourav Ganguly, the greatest cricketers in history – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, and Anil Kumble accept the mission to restore the image of Indian cricket. The book discusses India’s most significant matches, series and events, as well as their implications for Indian cricket. It’s a memoir of Indian Cricket’s most important decade charting an emotional journey for Indian cricket fans during the first decade of the new millennium.
It Wasn’t A Waste of Time by Nikhil Samant is quick-paced history of a group of players that join, stay, then leave to make room for the next generation, but everyone deals with the same burden to succeed and fight for Indian national cricket team. Nikhil Samant’s work with piecing together information and perspectives has allowed for amazing insight into the one of the greatest cricket team. As the book progresses, you dive deeper into all the details of the relationships, the battles, and the experiences of the Indian cricket team.
Though any seasoned fan of cricket and team India might already know most of these anecdotes and stories, It Wasn’t A Waste of Time is, nonetheless, a great choice of read that will give a much broader account of the legendary cricket team ensembled. In the book, Nikhil Samant recounts many entertaining behind-the-scenes stories of the cricket. Being a Sachin-era cricket fan, I found this book quite interesting. If you love cricket, It Wasn’t A Waste of Time likely will be one of the best sports books you’ve ever read.