“It’s a journey of self-discovery and quintessential underdog story of a team,” says Aakash Chopra about his second book Out of the Blue, Rajasthan’s Road to the Ranji Trophy, which is an extraordinary tale of the Rajasthan Ranji team and its incredible run to become the champions in the 2010-11 season.
“It talks about the journey the team undertook accomplishing the memorable feat. We were like the gatecrashers of one big party, but we ended up winning the tournament. When we started, we were the 27th team of the tournament, featuring 27 teams. From there, we went on to win the trophy. It was like creating history in Ranji Trophy after 77 years,” explains the former India opener and present member of the Rajasthan Ranji team.
This book, says Chopra, is basically split into two parts. “The first half is about each individual, their struggles and backgrounds, while the second half narrates the journey of the team winning the trophy. The book is an attempt to take readers into the lives of these cricketers.”
Aakash further shares that the main inspiration behind writing this book, was the achieved triumph that meant different to each player. “Although, we won the trophy and created the history, it mattered to each of us in a different way. For someone, it was like regaining lost glory, for some it was like repaying their father’s debt, who took a loan of `4 lakhs, so that his son could play the tournament, for others it was like graduating to a new class in school. Also, we were the underdogs, but how we slipped under the radar and defeated the big teams and eventually became the top dog leads up to the journey worth writing about.”
Defining it as a fairytale, which came true, Aakash says that the book also has loads of masala. “The interesting parts include game against Mumbai, and how the team wasn’t gracious enough to us. How we celebrated partied till wee hours after every win. The USP of the team was its unreal camaraderie. Our dressing room was the best dressing room. Every single individual was ready to help his competitor, without any angst. The book recollects all that.”
Being Chopra’s second book, following Beyond the Blues in 2009, he says that these sports books add as an inspirational value for a normal reader. He adds, “I read Lance Armstrong’s biography. It didn’t inspire me to be a biker, but his struggles encouraged me to do better. From Andre Agassi’s Open to Nelson Mandela’s Playing the Enemy, based on rugby, all these books are encouraging stories. They make you believe that if they can do, why can’t we.”
And with cricket being his first love, Aakash describes writing as a perfect stressbuster. “Cricket is my first love, but penning down those memories on pitch helps me express myself. It has now become my new-found companion and one can find me writing in time before and after the game.”
Aakash’s next book is called Insider, which will be out next year. “It’s a compilation of my articles on cricket. The book is an attempt to take readers into the minds of the cricketer and showcase both intellectual and instinctive side of a cricketer,” he says adding that if given an opportunity, he would like to make his latest book Out of the Blue into a film.