Internet Desk (PTI): A new book seeks to retell cricket history by revisiting all conventional assumptions about statistics, numbers and popular notions.
“Numbers Do Lie: 61 Hidden Cricket Stories” is brought out by Impact Index in collaboration with former cricketer Aakash Chopra and published by HarperCollins India.
“What if we told you that Rahul Dravid is India’s greatest Test batsman? And that Virender Sehwag had a problem with expectation? That there is a forgotten hero in the 1983 World Cup? That the most effective Test batsman after Don Bradman barely averaged 47?
“That Sachin Tendulkar was a greater support act, than a leading one, in Tests? That Virat Kohli did something in the 2011 World Cup that no one remembers him for now? That MS Dhoni is the most consistent Test cricketer of all time? And most jaw-dropping one, R Ashwin’s impact in Test cricket (so far) is greater than Bradman’s?” the publisher said in a statement.
According to Chopra, “Impact Index’s findings may not be the last word in cricket but they are certainly thought- provoking. They turn all conventional assumptions about numbers and their role in conversations on the game, on their head. I participated in this project as a neutral observer – one who is both impressed and intrigued.”
Impact Index is a statistical system in cricket that examines every performance in a match and series context.
“The book ‘Numbers Do Lie’ brings the Impact Index team with Chopra, India’s most insightful cricketer-writer- commentator, in a unique and important collaboration. The book could end up changing the way you look at cricket forever,” said Jaideep Varma, creator of Impact Index.
“This book is the result of seven years work, on Impact Index. Whether it is a vision-correcting system to look at the sport and its players or not, hopefully this book will at least help in emphasising the importance of context when cricket performances are evaluated,” he said.
“I believe this book firmly fits in with HarperCollins India’s vision of a publishing programme that brings new insights and new ways of looking at the world,” said Ajitha G S, senior commissioning editor of HarperCollins India.