Book Review: Sachin Tendulkar's autobiography 'Playing It My Way' fails to reveal the man behind the spotlight

Book: Playing It My Way

Author: Sachin Tendulkar

Pages: 486

Price: Rs 899

When it was first announced that Sachin Tendulkar was writing an autobiography, the initial feeling was of euphoria. Who would not like to get personal insights from the most popular Indian cricketer ever? Sachin Tendulkar is not merely a person or player: he has become an icon, even an institution. A peek into the heart and mind of such an institution is always a hugely welcome proposition.

However, on second thoughts, the conscientious cricket fan would have realised that the autobiography could not be expected to shake the foundations of world cricket. Tendulkar, who was a reticent man during his career both on and off the pitch, preferring to duck controversy rather than confront it, could not be expected to suddenly throw caution to the winds. This would not be an image-altering exercise in exposes. 

This impression was sought to be challenged by the PR exercises Tendulkar and his team carried out before the release of the book. They kept feeding interesting tidbits about the book to the media. Greg Chappell circa 2007 still had the potential to create controversy, and it did. There was a rallying cry from India's seniors, now happily retired but once hugely disgruntled with Chappell. There were photo ops, television appearances and posturing.

Anyone who has read the book now would know that most of the juicy bits had already been told before the book released. After the storm was over, what we received was rather dull weather. In the form of a mediocre, run-of-the-mill narrative of Tendulkar's career.

Which is exactly how 'Playing It My Way' can be described in stark terms. It would be fitting to describe the book as a chronological recollection of Tendulkar's career rather than an insight into the genius of Sachin Tendulkar. For a hardcore Indian cricket fan, there is not much to savour.

Every cricket fanatic in India for example, knows that Tendulkar made his debut against a hostile Pakistan attack in 1989. Most also know that he was struck on the mouth by a Waqar delivery in one of the Tests that followed, bled profusely and continued to bat on.

But these pieces of information would at least be of interest to a casual fan, or a very young fan who has fed off the Dhonis and Rainas of the world. It's the even more mundane bits which challenge a cricket fan's intelligence. For at the book's core is a tepid description of the events of every important match and series in Tendulkar's career. That kind of information could easily be obtained online.

Few really want to be reminded for example, that Tendulkar scored a hundred on a minefield in Perth in 1992. They already know that. The book does not attempt to scratch beneath the surface to reveal the mental and psychological aspects of that great innings, or of most other innings.

Consequently, there is little in the book that could spark fan interest. One aspect of an interesting sports autobiography is the politics behind the scenes, or behind the curtains of power. We get none of this in the book. The 1990s were tumultous times for Indian cricket off the pitch, and so were the early 2000s. But Playing It My Way does not even attempt to venture close.

Another aspect of a good sports autobiography is an insight into the workings of an art. In the case of Tendulkar, this means insights into the science of batting. While the master batsman does give us some information in this regard, it never becomes the focal point of any chapter.

Nor do we get much in the way of captain-coach relationships, captain-team mate relationships, board-captain relationships, or any kind of cricketing relationships at all. Sachin only consents to blow the cover off his secretive relationship in the early 1990s with his eventual wife Anjali. The chapter, titled 'Anjali', becomes the best chapter of the book simply because Indians love romantic tales (though it has to be conceded that Sachin-Anjali was one of the more interesting romantic stories). This says a lot about the quality of the book itself - if romance is the best part of a megastar sportsman's autobiography, the manuscript cannot be held in high regard.

Some autobiographies flop because fan expectations are too high. Some flop despite being full of spicy controversies. Tendulkar's book has outsold most others in India already and yet it a major let down, simply because the author did not TRY to make it insightful. Which is extremely unfortunate.

Eventually, you get the feeling that Tendulkar holds himself back nearly as much in his autobiography as he did during his high-profile, extremely successful cricketing career. SRT merely feeds the fans with things they would like to discuss, and that too without scraping the surface much. Between the chronological drivel, the sub-headings merely speak about issues widely discussed and debated by media and fans. The book is not so much a revelation of Sachin Tendulkar the man as it as an attempt to give the casual fan a reason to discuss Tendulkar's career.

Nor can it be said that the book is a masterpiece in linguistic expression. The language is plain, even cliched at times. One also gets the impression that the book was written with haste, for there are several statistical inaccuries. But the sad truth is that good autobioraphies can never be written with haste, for an autobiography is meant to be a revelation of the person behind the image.

Another disappointing aspect of Playing It My Way is the lack of first-person insights. Events are described almost dispassionately, like an observer in third person. There is also no attempt to bring in diverse perspectives on any single subject, to make the ardent fan think. 

Why then, was this autobiography written? It ends up being a brilliant opportunity that has been superbly wasted. There can be no argument that Tendulkar needed the limelight - he still has it more than some of the players in the current Indian team. Nor is he a struggling ex-cricketer looking to improve his finances, and he is unlikely to ever go down that path. Without the spice of controversy, the force of cricketing intellect or eloquence of language, Playing It My Way is just another ordinary book.

There are a few positives though. Despite the mundaneness, an unbiased fan would come to appreciate and respect Tendulkar the cricketer after reading Playing It My Way. It is simply amazing that a man could play cricket at near-peak level for over a decade while in constant pain. The book succeeds in bringing out the passion for cricket that the master batsman possessed. It also nullifies half-baked theories that Tendulkar, unlike Dravid, Laxman or Kumble, relied more on genius than on hard work to achieve success.  Incredibly, one can say that Tendulkar's performance over the second half of his career remained underappreciated because we knew little of his physical and mental struggles. Underappreciation and Tendulkar?

In conclusion, the book succeeds in elevating Tendulkar the batsman, but fails in revealing Tendulkar the person. It is a decent one-time read but would never rank anywhere amongst the greatest sporting autobiographies ever written.