Imperfect

This book is about me, my cricket career, my life. My strengths and weaknesses, my successes and failures. Every individual lives a uniquely different life. Life stories are always interesting. No one leads an uneventful life. Having been a sportsman, I also want young, aspiring sportsmen to learn from my career. Like a father once said to his son: ‘I made twenty mistakes in my life, you’ll make twenty new ones.’ In Imperfect, Sanjay Manjrekar uses his famous analytical powers to look back on his own career as a cricketer. His photographic memory takes the reader along on his journey from the dusty maidans of Mumbai to the world stage as the combative batsman faces up to the fearsome West Indian and Pakistani pace attacks. In his precise plainspeak, Sanjay reflects on his father Vijay Manjrekar and the effects of his personality on his game. He comments on the complex equations with the India greats with whom he shared the dressing room, and on the lessons learnt from his opponents. He also reveals his own excruciating obsession with batting technique, the quest for perfection, and the battle to shake off his mental shackles. Imperfect sets a new standard for cricket writing in India, with significant life lessons even for those who aren’t cricket fans.