Playing It My Way

Author - Sachin Tendulkar 

Playing it My Way is the autobiography of Indian cricket player Sachin Tendulkar. He is considered one of the greatest players who ever played the game. The book is about his experiences, challenges, and triumphs. There are very few people who can bring joy to an entire country.  A few on whom the hope of a billion people rests. Sachin was one such person who, with his one inning, could uplift the mood of a billion people. Such was his craze that the entire nation would stop to watch him play on the cricket field. A billion plus hearts used to beat for him, every person cheered for him, and every fan celebrated and mourned with him. There will be better cricketers than Sachin in the future. But no one like him would have captured the imagination of a billion people and inspired an entire generation.  

Sachin, who has a god-like stature in India and an inspiration for many generations, has chronicled his journey in this book. Getting to know the mindset and reading about the personal lives of icons and heroes is always fascinating. This book is no different. For cricket fans, it feels like getting to know the person up close whom they have admired for so long. The book is an easy read and does not necessitate one sitting reading. Readers can read the book in multiple sittings without missing much. However, readers with less knowledge or familiarity with cricket might find relating to the book challenging.

Apart from cricket, Sachin has also talked about his relationships with his coaches, teammates, friends, and family. It is fascinating to read about the commitment, hard work, and strategies applied behind all those runs scored. The book covers a wide range of topics in detail. A few are covered with diplomacy. One can feel transparency missing from episodes like match-fixing or the coaching tenure of Greg Chappel. As is the case with most biographies, this book also suffers from the limitation of the genre. Truth is selected and muted, toned down to avoid controversies. Also, one must be aware that views/ opinions stated in the book are authors and thus must be taken with a grain of salt. 

Overall, the book is a good read, especially for enthusiastic fans. It has a few lessons to move ahead in life and has the right mix of emotions to live and cherish.

BookVibes: 3.5/5