This 🏏 season, treat yourself to the joy of reading.

[Edit- Atleast that was the plan. But Covid hit home mid-April. Scroll down for the few goodreads shared before the halt in proceedings. Stay safe, stay sane.]

Between April 9th & May 30th 2021, I will be sharing one brilliant piece of writing on cricket, daily for your reading pleasure.

In addition to these 52 handpicked gems, expect random doses of bat-ball nostalgia from the personal library - consisting of books, collectibles and 100+ magazines (most of them older than Washington Sundar).

Join the Telegram channel [t.me/batballreadathon] to participate!

Over the past 25 years, the one thing I’ve enjoyed more than watching or playing the game has been reading about it. Hope this experiment gives your reading habit a boost during these weird times. 

Cheers,
Nitin
PS. All the goodreads shared on Telegram will be added below as well everyday. Bookmark this post. HAPPY READING :)

#7 - 22Nd May, 2021

Pausing the read-a-thon indefinitely with this scathing piece by Sharda Ugra calling out the obvious (posted on April 29th)...

From India to the IPL: Do You Read Me?

Even as India continues to struggle due to COVID-19, the IPL continues, almost in a parallel universe.

thequint.com

Take care, folks. Thank you for reading.

Leaving you for now with a peek into the mind of one of my all-time favourite sports writers, courtesy a 3-hour conversation between her and Amit Varma.

#6 - 14TH APRIL, 2021

"This is not meant to be a song of praise for him on his retirement; that is up to the rest of the world.

I am his wife, not a fan, and the reason I am writing this is to give you an insight into the role cricket has played in his life, and to take that in for myself at the end of his 16-year international career." ~ Vijeeta Dravid, ESPNcricinfo (1900 words)

My husband, the perfectionist

While he was very particular about how he approached the game, he had the great ability to leave cricket on the field once the day was done

espncricinfo.com

#5 - 13TH APRIL, 2021

Ten years ago, the Wall became the first non-Australian cricketer to deliver the Sir Donald Bradman Oration at Canberra.

Here's the entire transcript for your reading pleasure (longread ~6400 words; absolutely recommended) 👇

Transcript of Rahul Dravid's speech at the Sir Donald Bradman Oration

Transcript of Rahul Dravid's speech at the Sir Donald Bradman Oration

sportskeeda.com

#4 - 12TH APRIL, 2021

A fairy tale from not too long ago, but which seems like a distant memory, retold by Sambit Bal (1400 words)

India have created the greatest moment in their Test history

How many fairy tales is too many?

espncricinfo.com

#3 - 11TH APRIL, 2021

"I am a cricket purist. I love Test cricket. But if God existed, I would thank Her for Her kindness in bringing about the IPL. T20 cricket is the best thing that happened to cricket – and if five-day cricket is still alive 30 years from now, it will be because of the four-hour version of the game." ~ Amit Varma, Hindu Business Line (April 6th, 2018)

After 10 years of IPL, here are four reasons for Amit saying this - The Tamasha All Purists Should Love (800 words)

#2 - 10th april, 2021

"Firstly, I think that the IPL is a huge step forward for cricket. Second... it is good for India as well." ~ Amit Varma, ESPNcricinfo (March 13th, 2008)

A prolific writer's prescient POV on the Premier League's fortunes, written before a single ball is bowled at its inaugural edition... (1200 words)

Opportunity, choice and the IPL

Talk about silly money all you like, but the bottomline is, the IPL will bring competition and the rules of the market into cricket - and that can't be bad

espncricinfo.com

#1 - 9th april, 2021

You always remember your firsts, don't you? :)

In today's goodread, let's travel back in time with ace cricket writer Siddhartha Vaidyanathan and explore...

Twenty-five things that are no longer around

Remember what cricket was like two and a half decades ago?

espncricinfo.com

Personal favourites - #1 Rest Days, #4 Pitch Invasions, #8 Daddles and #22 Trump Cards!!

DAY ZERO

While you wait for the sporting action to begin, explore the Bibliotherapy cricket archives in the meanwhile via this handy guide...

Project Bibliotherapy on Instagram: “The Cricket Collection”

All the 🏏 posts on the Bibliotherapy grid

instagram.com

Name. One book/author/topic on your reading list for 2021. Email. Phone number (optional). That’s all.
Sign up below to READ MORE this year and beyond... :)

Bibliotherapy Readers' List

Want to READ MORE in 2021? Add yourself to the Bibliotherapy Readers' List for exclusive nudges, guided reading experiences and more...

bit.ly

Support

If my 'sanity project' has been successful in nudging you to READ MORE 📚, support it. Or help in spreading the word. Thanks in advance :)

bibliotherapy.scrollstack.com