Book Review: The only colour I saw was the colour of the ball: Kallicharran

There is no white or black, rich or poor in the game. Only the colour of the ball matters,” writes Kallicharran in his autobiography titled Colour Blind – Struggles, Sacrifice and Success of the Cricket Legend. According to the 70-year-old, the segregation in South Africa during the Apartheid era made no sense. And hence, he used cricket as a tool to build bridges and make connections through a programme, which has benefitted 2.5 million kids in the Rainbow Nation.

“The children in SA were colour blind and I was aware of the potential they had. How beautiful it would be if everyone was colour blind,” adds Kallicharran, who feels the gentleman’s game brings all under one royal roof.

The southpaw also gives us an insight into how he took Australia’s Dennis Lillee to the cleaners at the 1975 World Cup. In a dazzling 10-ball cameo, Kallicharran smashed 35 runs, which included a flurry of boundaries and a maximum. “The sledging by the Aussies was personal and racist. If a side is targeting you, you must be a threat. I fight fire with fire, yet remain cool. That’s what I did against Lillee,” writes the Guyanese man who has an Indian connection.

In one of the first few chapters of the book, the West Indian talks about the time when cricket filled his appetite. Coming from an impoverished background, he was deprived of basic needs and had to depend on others. “I will call myself a ‘Picky eater’. I never had food left in my house, I mostly got it from my neighbours. When I was the 12th man for a side, I used to get a drink or bun from my seniors. I played the sport for hours and food was something that I didn’t think much about. Lack of resources made me resourceful,” pens Kallicharran.

The double World Cup winner was an elegant batsman during his time and has an interesting story to share with us about it. “I think it all started in the sugarcane fields, where I worked with my father. We had to be very careful while cutting as it would hurt either the person who is performing the act or the one close to him. So, I started giving more attention to detail.”

Kallicharran, who was often referred to as ‘Seconds’ in his village, shares a frightening incident, during which he was given a second chance. “I was hijacked with my friend in Soweto. We were one Mercedes and one Rolex short, but were miraculously let go after five hours. It was a wakeup call for me,” states Kallicharran, who wants to continue to give back to the game.

Having played professional cricket for 26 years, he also gives his words of wisdom to the next generation, which could produce all-time greats and legends. Kallicharran has put together a lot of inspirational bytes and if you are an up-and-coming cricketer hoping to make it big at the highest level, give this book a crack.