One of modern cricket’s greatest rivalries is told through the piercing observations of its greatest living writer in this innovative and valuable tome.
Feature image credit: Allen & Unwin
Could there be anyone more qualified to talk about the rivalry between the Australian and Indian Test Cricket teams than Gideon Haigh? For over 40 years, Haigh has been the go-to for cricket commentary with his thoughts sought after by numerous publications worldwide. This volume is one of the first to look at the history of the two nations from the earliest tours of the ‘30s under Bradman, through the Benaud, Lawry, and Chappell (both Ian and Greg) years up to, and including, Pat Cummins and his men currently battling it out over the summer of 2024/2025.
Unsurprisingly, the book is largely made up of columns from various publications with very little added by Haigh for the book in comparison. Haigh has a wonderful writing style that challenges the reader to explore a higher vocabulary whilst using the best descriptive prose to invigorate what many consider to be a boring sport to demonstrate why it simply is not the case.
Along the way, Haigh discusses a number of important figures from both sides. Indian legends like Bishan Bedi, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar (who, along with Alan Border, had the trophy named after him in 1996), and of course, arguably the greatest Indian cricketer of them all: Sachin Tendulkar. Haigh also freely compares Tendulkar to current Indian champion Virat Kohli who has stepped up to replace Tendulkar as the face of Indian cricket.
One of the best chapters is about the second ever tied Test between Australia and India where Dean Jones set the benchmark for fighting through the pain in order to help Australia; Haigh postulates that this should be the innings that every batsman is marked against when talking about stamina under pressure. In vivid detail, he describes the almost farcical ending to the Test (and, watching the footage, one can see that Haigh was not in the slightest bit exaggerating!).
A large portion of the book details the Tests played from roughly 2000 to today in substantial detail and this is where the book loses some of its lustre. While the writing and thoughts are spot on, there is an overall lack of context that will alienate many readers. A prime example of this is an article from 2013 that discusses the suspension of four Australian players. At the time, it was headline news and there was no real need for Haigh to go over the details explicitly, yet now it feels like a brief recap would indeed be helpful for those of us with short memories (for those wondering, the four were suspended for not completing a feedback task while in India!).
This minor critique aside, this is still a valuable history of a rivalry that now outshines that of the Ashes. Haigh is a remarkable writer and undoubtedly there will be far more of these books to come from his deft hand in the future.
Reviewed by Rodney Hrvatin
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Published by: Allen & Unwin
Released: October 2024
RRP: $34.99
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