The Best-Selling Cricket Players Books of All Time

Sunny Days is the fascinating account of the growth of one of India's greatest batsmen, one whose astonishing feats on the cricket field have caused innumerable records to be re-written and set close to impossible targets. How did the story of Sunil Manohar Gavaskar begin? What was the genesis of the man who grew to be a legend in his own lifetime?

The story starts with a baby being switched after birth - luckily restored by an eagle-eyed uncle, he grows up to almost break his mother's nose with a mighty hit (a childhood habit that persists in later life), plays good cricket in school and college, inevitably graduates beyond university and trophy cricket, is occasionally booed by the crowd as his uncle happens to be a selector and then bursts into the international cricket scene with his test debut at Port of Spain at the age of twenty-one. The year is 1971, it is Gavaskar's year and sunny days have finally begun for Indian cricket. By the end of the 1975-76 season Gavaskar has played 147 first class matches, amassed 11574 runs and thirty-eight hundreds. He has played twenty-four matches in eight Tests, with 2123 runs and eight hundreds. And there is still nearly a decade left before the glory-days of the Kotla and Chidambaram stadiums. A fluently written book with Gavaskar's usual self-effacing modesty imparting a rare grace to its pages, Sunny Days is a must-read for all cricket fans.

When the distinction between amateur and professional cricketers was abolished, the source of some of the best anecdotes in the game was lost. the author has persuaded more than 100 leading English cricketers and cricket writers to talk about their memories of the Test and country game between 1919 and 1962. The result is a vivid and affectionate contribution to the literature and social history of cricket. Contains many black and white photographs.

The autobiography of the highest-scoring batsman of all timeThe greatest run-scorer in the history of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013 after an astonishing 24 years at the top. The most celebrated Indian cricketer of all time, he received the Bharat Ratna Award—India's highest civilian honor—on the day of his retirement. Now Sachin Tendulkar tells his own remarkable story, from his first Test cap at the age of 16 to his 100th international century and the emotional final farewell that brought his country to a standstill.

When a boisterous Mumbai youngster's excess energies were channeled into cricket, what resulted were record-breaking schoolboy batting exploits that launched the career of a cricketing phenomenon. Before long Sachin Tendulkar was the cornerstone of India's batting lineup, his every move watched by a cricket-mad nation's devoted followers. Never has a cricketer been burdened with so many expectations; never has a cricketer performed at such a high level for so long and with such style—scoring more runs and making more centuries than any other player, in both Tests and one-day games. And perhaps only one cricketer could have brought together a shocked nation by defiantly scoring a Test century shortly after terrorist attacks rocked Mumbai. His many achievements with India include winning the World Cup and topping the world Test rankings. Yet he has also known his fair share of frustration and failure, from injuries and early World Cup exits to stinging criticism from the press, especially during his unhappy tenure as captain. Despite his celebrity status, Sachin Tendulkar has always remained a very private man, devoted to his family and his country. Now, for the first time, he provides a fascinating insight into his personal life and gives a frank, revealing account of a sporting life like no other.