A Century Is Not Enough: Inside the Mind of a Cricketing Legend Hardcover – February 24, 2018

‘After God, it’s Sourav on the Off side’, famously commented Rahul Dravid. Sourav Ganguly holds the record of highest score (183) by an Indian in the World Cup. He didn’t play in any of the two landmark series’ (1983, 2011). He rather defined the era in-between and going by many of his believers - made the passage possible.It’s easier said than done. His time was like the Cambrian period of Indian Cricket and talent proliferated in every conceivable specialization. Then it was Sourav’s vision and leadership that orchestrated Sachin’s genius with Rahul’s perfection, Laxman’s Artistry with Kumble’s magic, the seniors’ stability with the juniors’ promise and produced the symphony of wins.Sourav’s book faithfully chronicles that period. It’s more of a flying manual for an instinctive captain negotiating a turbulent transformation. Some of his leadership tenets are borrowed from the words and wisdom of his role models: David Gower, Desmond Haynes, Wasim Akram. And the rest - he had to invent, much like the game he played - straight from the guts.What a backdrop for his prolific treble (10,000 runs, 100 wickets & 100 catches) in ODI cricket and 7000+ runs in Test! It’s surprising and shocking to know how his personal fate oscillated between sheer survival and super success as he went about bringing in talent and stability at the highest level. The fairy-tale stories in his book leave out none of the folklore that made that era: the Greg Chappel saga, the 2001 follow-on win against Australia, the early exit from 2007 World cup ... and so on.And then he delights an eternal fanboy like me with more - his life-lessons.Let me recount just two. First, how to treat your opponent when they are your equal or more. Sourav’s runs-in with Power and Prejudice are well known. What is lesser known is the finesse and restraint, he has dealt them with. Second, his insights into the changing face of cricket: the portmanteau cricket (better known as T20, a 21st century fusion of one-day cricket and European franchise Soccer). Sourav sensed and dwells on the tectonic shifts that would shake, rock and shift Cricket out of its traditional base of 22-yards.India have come a long way in International Cricket since their first overseas tour (1911) to the second world cup victory (2011). True, even this century (1911-2011) won’t have been enough to get there but for the script Sourav Ganguly authored.

Can read this book. This is about one of our best and stylish players of our time. Small book gives good insight

I wanted to read more about Ganguly and behind the scenes, the book is written in candid way, feels like a conversation, a story. Sometimes the flow is missing, but being a fan it's okay!

The book is great. Got the insights of the man whom I revered since I was a child. But expected more from the man on the wonderful knocks he played over the years. Did not find any mention of fantastic 120 vs Pakistan at Dhaka while chasing more than 300, or about the hundred against the Kiwis in Sharjah prior to the desert storm, etc. Looked like he hurried through to finish the book. No details on how he started playing cricket and how he fared in the domestic circle. Would have loved to know about those. He looked like a tragic hero in the book which he was not. In fact he is one of the legends of the Indian cricket and one of the best in ODIs in the entire world.

Not giving 5/5 because he used to be my hero while growing up, he explained in the book how he had to deal with many unexpected circumstances (like not getting a chance to bat in the net for two months, and had to face music from West Indian fast bowlers in Austraian hard, bouncy pitches) and how he overcame it.This book is definitely a must-read for all the aspiring sport persons in India and cricket fraternity. No matter which sports they play, the book will teach them how to handle things.Only thing I wish the book was loaded more incidents, lessons. In some cases, I found that the writer and publisher are rushing. Other than that, this is the best book I read in recent times.

Sourav is very open & honest and about his trails & tribulations. Really love the book. Dada - a generation of Indians owe you for changing the face of Indian cricket.

Awesome dada journey.

Received in new condition and ideal gift for a cricket lover

A CENTURY IS NOT ENOUGH- My roller coaster ride to success : Saurav Ganguly.Books on sports and sports persons is a newly acquired reading habit. In the last 5 years, would have read more than a dozen books. Needless to say, a large number of these have been on cricket and cricketers. ( Followed by Tennis). Some of the more memorable ones are A Corner of a Foreign Field by Ramachandra Guha, Wounded Tiger – The history of Cricket in Pakistan by Peter Oborne and two outstanding autobiographies of Tennis legends : Open by Andre Agassi and Unstoppable by Maria Sharapova. The worst outing was the Sachin autobiography in collaboration with Boria Mazumdar : Playing it my way, closely followed by Democracy’s XI by Rajdeep Sardesai.So when the new book of Saurav Ganguly ( my all time favourite) hit the book stands, bought it promptly and I now have a confession to make…finished it in one sitting.This is not an autobiography which starts in a maternity home in Behala and covers all his life till his retirement – but only a few cricketing moments which are important in the celebrated stylist’s life – his no holds barred views on them and what he learnt out of them. And if you have a man who doesn’t call a spade a spade but a bloody shovel…you are guaranteed an interesting book with remarkable insights with great acuity and precision…..and which will go down as one of the better sports books that I have read.There is a lot to learn from a remarkable player and an inspirational captain….who got us our self belief back…after the match fixing days of his predecessor…and won us tournaments in India and abroad…..by leading from the front and thru a great display of leadership…..a very interesting and well written book….my only complaint being it is too short….should have covered more of the great man’s life.Sachin Tendulkar has more batting records and centuries, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman had better craft and also possibly averages, Dhoni has more successes as the leader of the team but if one has to pick up the five most charismatic players in Indian cricket in the last 50 years……who combine style, success, attitude, aggression talent and chutzpah - possibly Saurav Ganguly figures on the top of the list…in my list in the company of ML Jaisimha, Salim Durrani, Tiger Pataudi and our new cricketing boss…Virat Kohli.Neatly split into three parts, Saurav takes us thru his initial days, then half a dozen chapters on his days as the Captain and the final part which seems to be the most painful for him is his being in and out of the team despite superlative performance, his days as the Kolkatta Knight Riders Captain to finally hanging up his boots on his own terms.I think destiny has not been kind on him. From his initial struggles where it took him almost 4 years to be a regular fixture in the team to being victimized by the all powerful Greg Chappels to his see-saw equation with the KKR team owners – he possibly needed to be handled with greater grace in life by the powers that be for the services he rendered to the Indian cricket team. While he does not hold it against Dravid, one can sense an undercurrent of bitterness about his good friend and one gets a feeling that if Dravid stuck his neck out, Saurav would have been dealt better by the establishment.In an era of oh-so-politically correct cricket players ( think Sachin / Rahul / VVS), it is gratifying to know of one man who could take on the establishment if required if he was convinced that he was doing the right thing for the game. His insistence on backing newcomers to the hilt guaranteeing them a full series when on board has given India a whole bunch of flamboyant match winning players….like Sehwag, Bhajji, Yuvraj and also to a certain extent, the venerable Dhoni.The Prince of Kolkatta as Geoff Boycott fondly referred to him is now onto a new career as an administrator and is one of the few administrators who has played the game at the highest levels. And with his courage of conviction, hopefully will do a lot of good to the game in the background as he did it in the foreground as a cricketer.A thoroughly enjoyable book.My rating: 4/5.

Note: Review Contains spoilers. Ideal for someone who wants the essence of Ganguly's account without the hassle of browsing through 300 pages.I would have ideally wanted to rate it a 3.5, but erring on the side of caution. Much against what Dada has recommended throughout the book!The autobiography of a cricketer who made his debut in the same year as I began following the game would present itself as a must read. Not necessarily if you are a fan boy, but more to gain an insight into the minds of one of the chief protagonists of the era. The positives first.This autobiography charts the journey as an international cricketer, right from the disastrous Australian tour in 1991/92 through to its conclusion in the home series against the same opponent in 2008. Thus if there are any holes in the reader's knowledge of the national team's travails through the nineties and noughties, Ganguly's account will sort them out. A subsequent chapter also narrates his flirtations with the IPL in its nascent years.Ganguly reinforces the point that not much is to be gained by staying in your comfort zone. That great deeds are achieved only in battling through challenges that come your way, whether voluntary or mandatory! He quotes key & timely conversations with yesteryear stars, which helped him retain focus by staying in the present rather than fretting over factors outside his control, while he was finding his feet in international cricket. Besides he also draws analogies with the experiences of the ordinary public in an attempt to drive home his point. Interestingly, Ganguly is frank enough to reveal that a part of him delighted in the national team's failures if they potentially swung open the door for him, be it prior to 1996, during the match-fixing scandal of 2000, or in 2006 when he was on a comeback trail. Such candour is refreshing in the age of political correctness.Now the drawbacks. The autobiography reveals precious little about the time preceding his international debut, which is, as things stand, hidden from the public eye. How did he fall in love with the game, so much as to pursue it professionally. What was his elder brother's influence like, who also happened to be a first class cricketer? Also, there is next to no mention of his experiences after 1992 and prior to his Lord's debut! A few factual inaccuracies littered all over, for instance where Pakistan is described as touring India in 2005 rather than 2004, can be overlooked.The most controversial aspect of Ganguly's 12 (or 16 year career), and arguably the selling point of this book, relates to his run-in with Greg Chappell. Dada minces no words in describing the obnoxious experience with the Australian hire, a sentiment echoed by most of his contemporaries. However it is clear that for Sourav, the wounds are still fresh, more than a decade since Chappell's departure. For a man of his accomplishment, such negativity is rather astonishing, specially given that his career enjoyed a second wind post the 2007 World cup. Yet Ganguly bemoans, multiple times, over the perceived unfairness about his exclusion from the national side for a few months. Truth be told, and anyone who is not an unabashed fan might agree, Ganguly's form had by all accounts declined in 2005 while his fitness, fielding and running between the wickets were anyway not much to boast about. If anything, Chappell had called out the elephant in the room, although his handling of a senior pro and cricketing superstar may have left a lot to be desired. Ganguly points to a Test century in the last series before his 'unceremonious' dumping. The knock in question was a painstakingly slow 101 off 262 balls against lowly Zimbabwe, an innings in which he had also managed to run-out VVS Laxman who was cruising at 140! He also finds justification for his out-of-character half-centuries against minnows Bangladesh & Bermuda in the 2007 World Cup, where the strike-rate just about nudged 50. One would hope that atleast in hindsight, Ganguly would be able to empathise with other cricketers who are unsuccessful in maintaining a consistent run at the top, for a multitude of reasons! Yet there is no such sentiment, as the prince of Kolkata continues to dwell in his rather hallowed and arguably self-entitled territory. Throughout the narrative, Dada looks to hammer home the fact that he was consistently churning out the goods on the field, rendering any criticism as grossly unfair. While his assertions clashed with my memory of the early noughties, a statsguru search on cricinfo confirmed his struggles with the bat. He barely averaged 20 in 2004 & 2005, if one is to exclude the minnow bashing tours of Bangladesh & Zimbabwe!Dada was a superstar, astute enough to play both the media as well as the idolising public, and revelled in doing so. Bengal had not produced an international cricketer of repute before Saurav, and it hasn't since either. It perhaps explains the God-like status he enjoys.Ganguly highlights - perhaps inadvertently - the silent but none-too-insignificant advantage gleaned by maintaining the right connections. At all times he appears to be only a phone call away from the most influential East Zone or National selector, the BCCI chiefs - current, former & future - as well as international experts or journalists with insider information. There is probably a lot more to it than he chooses to let on. It is even suggested he didn't hesitate to use his good offices while working towards his comeback in 2006. Has meritocracy, or the unwritten code of ethical behaviour been compromised? Rhetorical question.Ganguly has left no stone unturned to emphasize how the team was his fiefdom for the duration of his term as skipper. He backed the youngsters who took his fancy, and not unsurprisingly mirrored his personal attributes - immensely talented mavericks, but perhaps a tad short on discipline - aside from bull-dozing selection meetings and taking tough decisions based on his gut. The subsequent loss of control, coupled with the need to earn his spot back, appear to have caused significant discomfiture. Accountability to the team management doesn't appear to be something he could come to terms with, particularly in later years.Most jarring however, and perhaps a little uncomfortable to stomach, is his utter disdain for the domestic game. At several junctures, he has described the Ranji, or Duleep, or equivalent contests as insipid & demotivating. He even goes as far to describe the hotel in which the domestic team as a significant drop from his expectations as an international cricketer. Potentially not something that his colleagues who couldn't cut it at the top, might like to read! Hopefully now in his role as BCCI president, he might take the opportunity to implement constructive long-term solutions.Ganguly's biggest legacy to Indian cricket is his contribution as skipper which infused the team with an aggressive fighting spirit, inspiring them to meet fire with fire. The team held its own against the best in the world, and for that alone Dada remains an icon. Much like his batting, his autobiography too, while gripping in parts, retains gaping flaws. Although it might not find pride of place amongst literature on Indian cricket, it is nevertheless worth a read.

Entertaining read about a fascinating era in Indian cricket, but I wish Ganguly had gone into more depth and detail on several issues. Particularly, the saga with Greg Chappell was especially watered down, with no real insight into why they didnt get along. Ganguly skims the surface on a lot of issues and characters on which he could have probed deeper, which would have made this book even more insightful. Nonetheless, still enjoyed it

Mixed feeling after reading this. Writing is easy, lucid but at times pace is slow and boring. Spoken about some of the controversies. His take on life, family, friends and learnings. But still felt something missing, that could be only me, as not a fan of any sort of biography. Hard bind book, fonts are easy to read. Could have use a little better quality print materials. Overall a good read.

I have read somewhere that the book Alchemist became such a huge success and rage because as you read it, it answers your questions, whoever you are, you get your answers. That is the beauty of the book, one of my all-time favourites. A Century is not Enough has a similar magic!Thoroughly enjoyed this emotional journey of a phenomenon in Indian cricket called ‘Saurav Ganguly’. The style of writing is emotional and not objective. The book kept reminding of my best friend, whose favourite cricketer is Ganguly, for his life too had been a roller coaster that I saw very closely.Saurav Ganguly comes from an affluent Bengali family and his only aim in life was to play cricket for India, as long as he could. After making his first debut, he had to wait for another four years to play an international match, not easy by any means to stay focused and trust that it will happen.A success in past doesn’t guarantee an easy ride in the future. The book is full of wisdom and anecdotes that hammers the point that your need to have single minded focus and right skills to reach the top. And once you are there, you need to perform consistently else get axed from the next series.He was visionary and got things done his way, when he was the Captain. He built his own team, his own winners who could play fearless cricket. He always believed in leading from the front. Among the nice boys (Sachin, Dravid, VVS…) he had a courage to take on the administration and challenge the authorities. Rightly credited to bring the aggression, self-belief and a mindset that the team could defeat anyone overseas, not just in the subcontinent.As a die-hard cricket fan, I would have loved if he could have gone in more details about some of the crucial matches, inside the dressing rooms and things that influenced and distracted him at times.Ganguly keeps motivating himself throughout the situations and in turn tells the reader to do the same, “if you decide to allow your frustration to rule, the next day will be even tougher. The world, moving at its own pace, barely cares about your sentiments.”A good motivational read to know what goes behind the seen, playing in 11 out of a billion people, for more than a decade, is inspiring in itself!