Bengaluru, Mar 12 (PTI) The autobiography of former captain Gundappa Viswanath, one of the finest batters in the history of Indian cricket and hailed as an artist for his incredible wrist work, was launched here on Saturday.
The book, aptly titled ‘Wrist Assured’, co-authored by senior journalist R Kaushik, was launched during the opening day of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka.
India greats Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavakar unveiled the book in a brief ceremony during the dinner break of the day/night game.
Later, while speaking to the media, the 73-year-old Viswanath, who represented India in 91 Tests and scored 6080 runs, seemed overwhelmed by the occasion.
He revealed that he initially snubbed the idea by Kaushik about penning the book but was later convinced by his family.
“It’s amazing the way I have been treated. Standing between two greats of world cricket (Gavaskar and Kapil), the way I have been treated is unbelievable,” said Viswanath. Kapil said that the first autograph he took as a cricket fan was of Viswanath and still cherishes it.
“This book should have been written 20 years back. I wished I could be like him and behave like him. I have always looked up to him. He is a true ambassador of the game,” said the 1983 World Cup wining skipper.
“He is my all time hero. Something stuck in my head about Viswanath.” BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said young players, who want to play for India, will get to learn about the game by reading the book. PTI AT AT PDS PDS
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