From goodbye to hello

Aakash Chopra's first book on cricket, Beyond the Blues: A Cricket Season Like No Other, has finally been published. Not surprisingly, it is based primarily on his experiences during the recently concluded cricket season. But, if his blogs and articles are anything to go by, it promises to be better than the run-of-the-mill "autobiographies" that get churned out by players, current or former.

The reviews have started to come in and are quite positive. Suresh Menon chips in with his impression.

This must rank as the best book written by an Indian Test cricketer. It is candid and takes you into the mind of the player. Most books by Indian players are ghost-written autobiographies with tedious details of matches played, the odd anecdote, and very few insights into the game in India.

Aakash Chopra has written a book that has both immediacy and perspective. He uses a single incident or personality to comment on a system and the inevitability of it producing the kind of players India produces.

My order has been "placed" and the book is on its way to me. I can hardly wait for it...