Once famously described as an Indian game accidentally invented by the English, cricket is a sport that the sub-continent lives and dies by. Every big victory is celebrated with fireworks and impromptu street parties. Every disappointing loss is accompanied by an anguished protest and an effigy-burning mob. But with India emerging as cricket’s supreme leader because of its monetary control of the sport over the last two decades, has a new generation of fans forgotten all about Indian cricket’s humble beginnings? Are they aware of the blood, sweat and tears that took India from rank outsiders in the 1930s to world champions in the 1980s? More importantly, perhaps, do they even care? A new show, “Mid-Wicket Tales with Naseeruddin Shah”, being telecast on The EPIC Channel available across cable and satellite networks in India, is now attempting to educate modern-day fans about the real story of Indian cricket.In a television industry dominated by over-melodramatic family soap operas, in which the protagonists are mostly dressed in gaudy wedding-wear and jarring jewelry, the concept and treatment this show is a refreshing change for local audiences.Starting with how cricket was brought to these shores by British colonialists in the 1800s, “Mid-Wicket Tales”, narrated by celebrated actor and Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan-awardee Naseeruddin Shah (“Monsoon Wedding” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”), combines rare footage and interviews with former players to visit different eras of Indian cricket, breaking up into various themes India’s rise on the cricket field. There are episodes, for example, on the princely patrons who promoted the sport in its early years; inspirational captains who led the team to iconic victories in India and abroad; the legion of unique spin bowlers who gave Indian cricket its character; fearless opening batsmen who withstood fiery fast bowlers on bouncy tracks; and how the World Cup became the ultimate stage for the Indian team to show it had finally come of age.Shah’s eloquent narration, which indicates his personal love for the game, adds both character and authority to the 26-episode series. The most engaging feature of the show is the anecdotes, often told by former cricketers or sports historians, that both enliven the viewer experience and perfectly transport us to a time long gone. A time when India was still a British colony trying to use cricket as a tool in the fight for equality, or a time when a newly independent nation was trying to understand what it really meant to be world famous in any field. It was in such settings that players like Colonel C.K. Nayudu, the country’s first Test captain, or Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the son of a Nawab who had once played for England, gave Indian cricket its steely spine. And it was in this backdrop that players such as Sunil Gavaskar, a teenaged opener with a brave heart, or Kapil Dev, a rustic small-town boy who dreamed of ruling the cricket world, sowed the first saplings of success. It is their stories that “Mid-Wicket Tales” manages to bring to the fore.More than anything, the show reminds us that Indian cricket is not just about current star players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, or tournaments such as the mega-billion-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL). That the real heroes – the ones who got Indian cricket to this point – should never be forgotten.“Mid-Wicket Tales with Naseeruddin Shah” is a Hindi show (with some interviews in English) that airs exclusively on the EPIC channel every Friday at 10pm.Episode Synopsis of “Mid-Wicket Tales with Naseeruddin Shah”:Episode 1: Our Glorious OpenersFacing the new ball, with its pace and bounce, is the hardest thing in cricket. Any team, therefore, is only as good as its opening batsmen. India has been fortunate to have had some prolific and legendary openers – from Vijay Merchant to Sunil Gavaskar, and from Sachin Tendulkar in one-day cricket to Virender Sehwag in both forms of the game. These special talents feature in this episode.Episode 2: The Captains of our DestinyIt’s been long said that the personality of a captain always rubs off on his team. This episode takes us through the achievements of some of the greatest captains, who not only led India to glory but also gave character to the sport. It features all the greats, from the gritty C.K. Nayudu to the iconoclastic Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, from the leader by example Kapil Dev to the fighter Sourav Ganguly, and from the quietly aggressive Sunil Gavaskar to the calm and calculating M.S. Dhoni.Episode 3: India’s Extraordinary SpinnersWhen India could not find a genuine pace bowler, it made up for that deficiency by embracing and enhancing the occult art of spin bowling. This episode uncovers the secrets of India’s talented spinners – from Vinoo Mankad and Subhash Gupte to the quartet of B.S. Chandrasekhar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and S. Venkataraghavan, to the dynamic duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh – showing how they single-handedly won historic matches for India.Episode 4: Patrons of Indian Cricket“What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” wrote legendary cricket writer C.L.R. James in his seminal book “Beyond a Boundary”, also considered the best book on cricket, if not on all sport. Cricket has not been without its politics and its history. This episode dips into the British Raj, the Maharajas, and the patrons who became the torchbearers of the sport in a rapidly changing nation both before and after Independence.Episode 5: Fantastic Pacers of IndiaThe lack of quality fast bowlers in India has been an epidemic. In spite of that, there are a few men who have engraved their names in the annals of Indian cricket history. From Mohammed Nissar and Amar Singh in the pre-independence era to Ramakant ‘Tiny’ Desai in the ’50s and ’60s, to when the legendary Kapil Dev stormed in and broke every taboo in the ’80s and ’90s. Kapil Dev not only became the world’s highest Test wicket-taker at the time but also inspired a generation of fast bowlers, ensuring that an Indian fast-bowler is no longer an object of wonder.Episode 6: India at the World CupsA cricket-crazy nation and World Cup fever go hand in hand. But that wasn’t always the case. This episode uncovers how India went from clueless campaigners to marauding champions in one English summer in 1983. And then won the title a second time at home in 2011, becoming the only team until then to lift the World Cup as a host nation.Episode 7: Agents of ChangeIndian Cricket has seen many inflection points. From a crisis to a triumph, controversy to experimentation. For each of these crossroad moments, a towering personality made a path that changed the game. This episode features those game-changers.Episode 8: Our Stylish Left-HandersLeft was not always considered right, and cricket was no different. But watching elegant left-handed batsmen and undecipherable left-handed bowlers on a cricket field has always been a thing of beauty. This episode features some of India’s finest southpaws – from Palwankar Baloo to Nari Contractor and from Sourav Ganguly to Yuvraj Singh.Episode 9: India in EnglandSince India started playing cricket because of England, it is perhaps only apt that some of India’s greatest victories have come in England – be it the first-ever Test victory at the Oval in 1971 that told the world the Indians had come of age, or the World Cup triumph in 1983, or even the NatWest Trophy under Sourav Ganguly in 2002.Episode 10: Bravehearts of Indian Cricket“Cometh the hour, cometh the man,” is a quote by English bowler Cliff Gladwin, which applies to the spirit in the sport that this episode captures. Cricket is a game in which an injury is always around the corner, especially when a fearsome fast bowler is charging in from 22 yards away. But several players have recovered and braved their way back onto the field, hitting back with a vengeance. This episode features these bravehearts, from Nari Contractor to Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Anshuman Gaekwad to Yuvraj Singh.Follow @ARTINFOIndia
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