A Social History Of Indian Cricket.
Over three centuries (1780-2003), India's engagement with cricket has made for a riveting drama. Paradoxical as it may seem, idealism and intrigue, social mobility and strict stratification are all part of India s cricket story. It is this story that Boria Majumdar recounts in his lucid yet rigorous study of the country s perennial cricket mania.
'Twenty-Two Yards To Freedom' assesses the role of cricket in Indian national life. Majumdar argues that cricket was a means to cross class barriers and had a healthy following even outside the aristocracy and upper middle classes well over a century ago. Indeed, in some ways, the democratization of the sport anticipated the democratization of the Indian polity itself. It also examines the interrelationship between those who patronized and promoted the game and those who played and watched it.
