My Way

The title aptly sums up Jaisimhas cricket. Just finished reading his biography. Its a good gripping read, though I feel that there could have been a bit more on the cricketing front and less on the life outside the field that he led. But definitely worth a buy if you are a fan of him like me. And at 100/- its pretty cheap. Some of the stories in the book are too good to be true. The one about where Laxman first sees Jaisimha recounted in the first page of the book gives one goose bumps.

In fact the reason why he did not play more than he did is also apparent from the book, with his no-nonsense attitude towards the selctors. About how selectors would tinker with the Indian teams composition and actually pick an inferior team just because one particular player did not feed enough fuel to their already bloated egos.

The best lines in the book are when an upcoming young batsman asks Jai about his batting, and Jai says "You lack style, boy". Upon which our tyro proceeds to ask him "And how can I become a stylish player ? " to which Jai in his inimitable style replies "Just try touching Salim Durrani, maybe some of his style might rub off on you!!!". I guess watching Azhar and Laxman bat in full flow, we all know where the inspiration for their styles came from.