120. Interview with Nikhil Samant

Welcome to Episode 120 of Never on the Backfoot Podcast. On the podcast today joining me is Nikhil Samant. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession, running his business in Pune. Like all Indians, he is a huge fan of the game of cricket. His passion and need to be associated with the game culminated in his writing of the book, ‘It Wasn’t A Waste of Time - The Story of the Most Important Decade' in Indian Cricket’. This book is his tribute to Indian Cricket and all the players who have had the privilege to wear the Indian cap. The book encapsulates 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?” Basically, it 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. The book beautifully outlines the important events that India had participated in at that time to regain its charm back. It has glimpses of ICC Champions Trophy 2000, India's tour of England and New Zealand in 2002, ICC World Cup 2003, ICC World Cup 2007 and others, presented as a 'long story short'. Although this book is non-fiction, relying heavily on true facts and statistics, interviews and reports, it still has an element of storytelling and a beautiful coherence that fascinated me. The book is surely recommended to all Cricket lovers and those who love to read about the sport. The author is articulate and the language used is subtle, well-drafted and rich. It depicts how the legends of Indian Cricket opened all the doors of love that were almost shut upon them. The comprehensive interview is a candid and free flowing discussion with Nikhil that has us covering a plethora of topics and you wouldn't want to miss out on this one!
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