Boria Majumdar is een vooraanstaand academicus wiens werk zich verdiept in de complexe geschiedenis en politiek van cricket, zowel binnen India als op wereldwijde schaal. Hij benadert sport niet louter als een tijdverdrijf, maar als een lens om bredere sociale en politieke stromingen te begrijpen, waarbij hij de impact en weerspiegeling ervan op de samenleving onderzoekt. Met een basis in rigoureus historisch onderzoek brengt Majumdar een internationaal perspectief in zijn studies, en levert zo een belangrijke bijdrage aan de academische discussie over sport. Zijn geschriften bieden inzichtelijke verkenningen van de evolutie van sporten en hun integrale rol in de wereldwijde gemeenschap.
"I’m delighted that my autobiography #PlayingitMyWay will be published on November 6, this year. I knew that agreeing to write my story would need me to be completely honest, as that’s the way I have always played the game. It would require talking about a number of aspects I have not shared in public before. So here I am, at the end of my final innings, having taken that last walk back to the pavilion, ready to recount as many incidents as I can remember since first picking up a cricket bat as a child in Mumbai thirty-five years ago." - Sachin Tendulkar
From one of India’s best-known sports journalists, a fascinating exploration of cricket—India’s most popular sport—packed with lively anecdotes and never-before-seen photographs. Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians takes you behind the scenes of India’s most popular sport—going from early tours in 1886 to the more contemporary IPL, offering a complete understanding of the evolution of the game both on and off the field. Featuring material that has never-been-released, this book sheds new light on cases like Monkeygate, the suspension of Lalit Modi, match-fixing scandals, and more. Weaving together personal interviews, photographs, and letters, Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians unflinchingly asks the questions that need answering, among them: Has internal conflict impacted the on- field performance of the Indian cricket team? Did some icons fail the country and the sport by trying to conceal important facts during the spot-fixing investigation? And does it matter to the ordinary fan who heads the BCCI as long as there is transparency and accountability in the system? Chronicling the history of cricket throughout colonial and post-colonial Indian life, Eleven Gods and a Billion Indians offers fascinating insight into those who patronize, promote, play, and watch the sport, as well as the entire nation now considered the global hub of the world of cricket.
