A gripping memoir that captures essence of Mohinder Amarnath’s remarkable journey

By Harsh Thakor*

Mohinder Amarnath’s autobiography, Fearless, released thirty-five years after his departure from international cricket, is a fitting tribute to his relentless courage on the cricket pitch. Co-written with his brother Rajender Amarnath, this memoir is a balanced, forthright, and anecdotal account that explores not just Amarnath's cricketing career but also his family life, philosophies, and the trials he faced both as a cricketer and as a person.

The memoir begins with touching reflections on his childhood experiences and the profound influence of his father, Lala Amarnath, on his life and career. Written in a simple, lucid style, the book is a compelling read, capturing the essence of Amarnath’s rollercoaster journey in cricket. It portrays his career as one of the most enduring tales in Indian sports history, blending moments of triumph with setbacks and controversies, akin to an epic novel with continuous ebb and flow.

Amarnath’s career was a mix of incredible highs—such as being a key player in India’s 1983 World Cup victory—and lows, including team exclusions and mental health struggles. The book reveals how Lala Amarnath remained his guiding light throughout these challenges. It is a testament to Mohinder’s grit, resilience, and ability to rise from adversity, embodying the spirit of a role model who thrived in the face of perilous odds.

Vivian Richards once hailed Amarnath as “the best player of fast bowling in the world” in 1983—a remarkable accolade for an Indian cricketer, given India’s struggles against express pace at the time. Despite his talent, Amarnath faced repeated exclusions from the Indian team, often for political reasons. The book critiques these injustices and highlights how such decisions impeded Indian cricket’s progress.

The Ultimate Epitome of Courage

Fearless emphasizes Amarnath’s technical correctness, courage, and mental resilience. The book vividly recounts his comebacks, comparing his indomitable spirit to that of Muhammad Ali. Despite often suffering in silence, Amarnath never hesitated to criticize the cricket board or selectors when warranted.

The book showcases Amarnath’s extraordinary overseas performances, with nine of his eleven Test hundreds scored away from home. His ability to deliver under pressure made him the ultimate player for a crisis.

Career Highlights

Amarnath nostalgically recalls key moments from his career, starting with his Test debut against Australia in Chennai in December 1969. He recounts his marathon 85 against the West Indies in 1976, which played a pivotal role in India’s historic record run chase of 406. He narrates how the West Indies pace battery unleashed intimidatory tactics in Kingston, sending many Indian players to the hospital.

The book details his experiences on the 1977-78 tour of Australia, where, despite India’s defeat, Amarnath’s performances won hearts. He vividly describes combating Jeff Thomson’s fiery pace on fast, bouncy pitches, topping the batting averages on the tour.

Amarnath also shares his memories of the 1978 tour of Pakistan, his emotional connection to the country, and the biased umpiring that often worked against India. He speaks candidly about his peak period from December 1982 to June 1983, during which he dominated express pace attacks, including Imran Khan’s formidable Pakistani bowling lineup and the Caribbean pace quartet of Roberts, Holding, Garner, and Marshall.

He recounts his pivotal role in India’s 1983 World Cup triumph, earning Man of the Match awards in both the semifinal and the final. The book also highlights his resurgence in 1984-85 with a match-saving century in Pakistan and his consistent performances in subsequent years.

Revelations Against Selectors

Amarnath openly criticizes selectors for their unfair treatment during his career, famously referring to them as “a bunch of jokers.” He discusses how he learned about his selection for the 1983 World Cup from a friend in the UK, rather than the BCCI.

Player Appraisals

Amarnath boldly compares Imran Khan and Sunil Gavaskar as captains, praising Khan’s inclusive leadership style. He describes Michael Holding as the best fast bowler he faced, citing Holding’s flawless action and lightning speed. Amarnath also lauds the batting skills of Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath and praises Indian spin legends like Bishan Bedi, Chandrashekhar, and Prasanna.

Critiques and Missed Opportunities

While Fearless is an engaging read, it misses addressing some broader issues that plagued Indian cricket, such as internal dissent, captaincy disputes, and inadequate team cohesion. The book also lacks a detailed evaluation of the evolution of cricket post-Amarnath’s retirement.

Conclusion

Despite its minor shortcomings, Fearless is a gripping memoir that captures the essence of Mohinder Amarnath’s remarkable journey. It is a story of courage, resilience, and the triumph of the human spirit, making it an essential read for cricket fans and sports enthusiasts alike.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Subaltern voices go digital: Three Indian projects rewriting history from the ground up

By A Representative A new wave of digital humanities (DH) work in India is shifting the focus away from university classrooms and English-language scholarship, instead prioritizing multilingual, community-driven archives that amplify subaltern voices . According to a review published in the Journal of Asian Studies , projects such as the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), the Oral History Narmada archive , and the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre are redefining how the country remembers its past — often without government funding or institutional support.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Search This Blog