World Test Championship Final: Films and series to toast spirit of cricket as India battle Australia

The World Test Championship Final is on and, as India battle for world supremacy in the five-day format of the game against Australia, cricket fever grips the nation in a different way. For now, at least, T20 mania can wait. We are hooked to the long format of the game.

Addiction, passion, hysteria — perhaps no word is strong enough to aptly describe the emotion Indians harbour for cricket. The only other pastime that has ever come close to matching the overwhelming sentiment for the game is cinema. The lure of screen entertainment — Indian as well as foreign productions — has traditionally wooed Indians, with films based on cricket and cricketers mostly garnering a steady buzz.

Films have captured the spirit of the cricket and personalities that made the game more than a popular pastime, in a way that we understood better the psychology that drives the sport, as well as its various facets. Over time, there have been several series, too, besides documentary films, that have made for a memorable watch.

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Soaking in the spirit of Test cricket — which classicists would assert is the true form of cricket — during the ongoing WTC final match gives us a fresh excuse to revisit the bond between cricket and cinema. Here is a recce of top pick films, series and docu-films that define the gentleman’s game, especially Test cricket, besides a few that look at key personalities who have shaped India’s love for the game over the years. These films and series are strictly arranged in chronological order.

The Final Test (1953)

Anthony Asquith’s 1953 comedy drama is one of the earliest hits celebrating the bond between cricket and cinema. The black-and-white British production stars Jack Warner as Sam Palmer, a cricketer who is set to play his final test match and would love his schoolboy son Reggie to watch him in action. Reggie, a poetry lover, however, has other plans. The film has cameos by several cricketing titans of the era such as Denis Compton, Len Hutton and Cyril Washbrook.

Bodyline (1984)

A young Hugo Weaving plays English captain Douglas Jardine, toplining a cast that has Gary Sweet as the legendary Donald Bradman and Jim Holt as English pace ace Harold Larwood in the Aussie miniseries that, many feel, defines England-Australia rivalry as few cinematic attempts do. Based on England’s Ashes tour of Australia in 1932-1933, the series focuses on Jardin’s bodyline tactics aimed at goading his fast bowlers to deliberately wound Australian batsmen, particularly Bradman, on the pitch.

Lagaan (2001)

Every cinema lover and cricket lover in India has celebrated _Lagaan_ and its nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2002 Oscars. The Aamir Khan-starrer may have lost out to No Man’s Land, but the film would emerge a blockbuster and a classic. The Ashutosh Gowariker directorial has since found space in Time magazine’s list of All-Time 25 Best Sports Movies. At the same time an underdog’s tale of triumph, a patriotic drama and an ode to cricket, Lagaan is a fictional tale about an Indian village that accepts the challenge of a whimsical and tyrannical British Captain to a game of cricket, winning which would cancel out harsh taxes implemented by the British for three consecutive years.

Iqbal (2005)

Nagesh Kukunoor’s film is not so much about cricket as it is about the dedication and diligence an underdog needs to possess in order to attain sporting glory against all odds. Shreyas Talpade, in his first major role, plays Iqbal, a farmer’s son who is deaf and mute but who dreams of representing India in cricket. The inspiring coming-of-age drama received the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues, and captured successfully the aspiration that cricket drives among millions of youngsters in India.

Fire in Babylon (2010)

One of the finest documentary films made on the subject of cricket, the British production is about the fearsome West Indies team of the 1970s and 1980s. Through a runtime of 80 minutes, the Stevan Riley directorial captures the greatness of one of the most perfect cricketing units that ever was. The film is a toast to cricket at its glorious best and is a ready reckoner if you wish to understand the evolution of the game. It has engaging conversations featuring Windies icons such as Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Colin Croft and Deryck Murray.

Beyond All Boundaries (2013)

The relatively unknown Hindi documentary directed by Sushrut Jain is about three individuals who find a purpose in cricket. Narrated by Kunal Nayyar, the film is set during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. The first individual is Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, a Sachin Tendulkar fan who would attend every home match of India since 2007. The second is Akshaya Surwe, a young lady who dreams of playing for India. The third individual is Prithvi Shaw, then a 12-year-old boy from a struggling family who also has big cricketing dreams.

M.S.Dhoni - The Untold Story (2016)

He isn’t there at the WTC final but the legacy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s years as India captain continues to impact Indian cricket. Neeraj Pandey’s blockbuster directorial dramatises the life of the middle-class boy who rose from humble beginnings in small-town Ranchi to conquer the world with his cricketing prowess. The film brings back memories of Sushant Singh Rajput, too, who impeccably brought alive Dhoni on screen. It’s a film that rekindles your love for cricket as an Indian all over again, so it makes our list.

Sachin A Billion Dreams (2017)

No discussion of Indian cricket is complete without Sachin Tendulkar, so a brilliant film on the maestro’s life makes the cut not just because it celebrates the man. James Erskine’s film is a dramatic interpretation of Tendulkar’s life from childhood to youth. Somewhat underrated owing to its documentary format, the film explores the mind and persona India’s biggest cricketing phenomenon in two ways. Firstly, it traces his journey as a sportsperson from childhood to cricketing peak. Furthermore, it shows how Sachin Tendulkar grew in the nation’s consciousness as the God of Cricket.

Inside Edge (2017)

One cannot think of many other cutting-edge tales made for the screen that capture the dark side of cricket as Inside Edge does. The series tells the story of a fictional T20 team called the Mumbai Mavericks who play in the high-stake Powerplay League, where big money and bigger power games dwarf the cricketing superstars who, in the public eye, enjoy a larger-than-life stature. Karan Anshuman’s award-winning series stars Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chadha, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Tanuj Virwani, Angad Bedi, Sayani Gupta, Aamir Bashir and Sapna Pabbi, and throws light on the grime beneath the cricketing glitter.

Shane (2022)

Think Australian cricket, and if you are a new-age lover of the game, your first recall would probably be Shane Warne. Flamboyant as he was controversial, Warne was known as Mr Hollywood to fans and colleagues alike. But beyond his headline-grabbing antics, the leg spin ace from Down Under did enough and more to change how the cricketing world approached spin bowling. The documentary film directed by David Alrich, Jon Carey and Jackie Munro invests 95-odd minutes into exploring Warne’s larger-than-life persona as succinctly as it captures his cricketing genius.

Also worth a look…

Playing Away (1987): The comedy directed by Horace Ové is about a local English team that invites a team of West Indians in Brixton to play a charity game.

Hansie: A True Story (2008): An incisive bio-pic, the film is about late South African captain Hansie Cronje, who went from hero to disgrace after being involved with Indian bookies in the infamous matchfixing scandal.

Victory (2009): Ajit Pal Mangat’s film starring Harman Baweja follows a predictable story of a struggling cricketer with big dreams. The film, though, has its moments of drama.

Out of the Ashes (2010): The docu-film by Tim Albone and Lucy Martens is about the Afghan team struggling to qualify for the 2011 World Cup and captures the chase of a dream against the backdrop of war, bombings and devastation.

Kai Po Che (2013): One of the most popular Hindi films set against a backdrop of cricket, the Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer celebrates coming-of-age experiences as few Bollywood films have done.

The Edge (2019): Barney Douglas’ 95-minute docu-film traces England’s rise between 2009 and 2013 to world number one status in cricket.

The Test (2020): The docu-series follows the Australian cricket team and how it rose from the ashes under Tim Paine’s captaincy following the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.

Vinayak Chakravorty is a critic, columnist and journalist who loves to write on popular culture.

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