Cricket and the West Indies

It finds them a bond where otherwise there is sea.

So writes my friend Rahul Bhattacharya, India’s best cricket writer by far, in his terrific piece, “Rally round the West Indies”.

As much as the next two months will showcase some great cricket, there will also be lots of great cricket writing on offer. Don’t look at the Indian broadsheets for that—they will make mediocrity seem like a standard to aspire to. Cricinfo, where once I worked, will have some excellent stuff amidst much ordinary writing, as will the British and Australian papers. Now is when the cricket writers will strut.

Not moi! I’m so happy to just be able to watch, without the pressure of having to write, when much of the romance is sucked out by the need to find words for it. Joy.

Also read: Sambit Bal’s piece, “Let the games begin.”