For Abhishek Mukherjee, a respected historian of the game in the modern era, this is his labour of love for cricket. A traditionalist who accommodates the craze for T20 cricket and the Indian Premier League, Mukherjee can endlessly debate on the intricacies of batting and bowling and stun you with his profound knowledge of some of the most colourful characters of cricket.
This book, published by Penguin Play, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is a delightful chronicle of cricket. It is quite unique too. Mukherjee weaves his stories around quotes backed by priceless data. He deals with 500 years of history and unearths little-known facts. As well-known cricket writer Jarrod Kimber says, “What this book and Abhishek Mukherjee provide are eyes of the previously unseen. He is not rewriting history; he is simply telling stories from the other side that weren’t recorded correctly.”
Mukherjee’s reading of the game is exemplary, and he has his reasons for sharing his love for the game through quotes. “There are tales that scorecards do not tell, stories of heroes and villains, rises and falls, temptations and conflicts, inclusions and exclusions.” This book does justice to the little-known history of cricket.
There is a chapter dealing with the mental health of the players. Mukherjee highlights the mental health break that Glenn Maxwell took in 2018. Ben Stokes took six months off cricket to cope with panic attacks. Meg Lanning took a break from cricket to work in a café and travel. Mukherjee does well to use a quote from New Zealand cricketer Suzie Bates, who also played basketball for her nation at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. “One of the worst sports for mental health,” she had said. We all know the case of Marcus Trescothick’s battle with stress and mental health.
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There is a wonderful recognition for New Zealand cricket in Kane Williamson’s quotes: “It’s a very special feeling, the first time in our history we’ve come away with a world title.” The world loved New Zealand’s feat of winning the crown in the inaugural World Test Championship.
Fanie de Villiers to the camera crew, “Go out, have a look, boys. They’re using something.” He had spotted Australia’s Cameron Bancroft using a yellow object on the ball on the third day of the 2017-19 Cape Town Test. The yellow object turned out to be sandpaper that cost Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner a huge loss of reputation and their places in the team.
Mukherjee has assiduously put together 100 chapters with some compelling quotes to bring us a story that asks questions of the way history was written. He puts forth his research in a lucid style, making it a must-read for every cricket lover, especially those who invest in history. Caught Yapping is just that – a narrative that tests your knowledge of the history of cricket. Mukherjee does just that.
Published on Aug 21, 2025
