Throughout its long & distinguished history Wisden has reported on Indian cricket around the world & commented on its highs & lows. One of the first references to a touring Indian cricket side was in 1889: ' Perhaps the most notable feature of the tour was the wonderfully successful bowing of Mr Pavri who took 170 wickets at a cost of under 12 runs each'. For a time India enjoyed a golden age of cricket largely through Lord Hawke's tours in the 1890s & then buoyed up by the exploits of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji who was chosen as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1897. But there were set-backs to come such as the team's 1953 ' Worst Start in Test Cricket' which saw Trueman scythe through their top order at Headingley to leave the team in disrepair at 0 for 4 wickets after 14 balls. Recent decades have seen formidable players such as Ganguly Laxman Sehway Dravid & Tendulkar lift India's game to great heights making them a force to be reckoned with. This anthology charts the progress of India through Wisden's pages using match reports articles notes obituaries & illustrations to bring this extraordinary team
- & their equally extraordinary nation
- to vivid & delightful life.