Most of the other stories are set in either Bombay or Calcutta, at any time between the seventies and the present, with the exception of “The Great Game,” which is set in both Bombay and the city of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. The Hindi word “saala” in the story literally means “brother-in-law”; but it is also a term of abuse. In a casual sense, it suggests someone who has the tiresomeness of a brother-in-law; in a stronger vein, it carries the implication “I have slept with your sister.” I should point out that the story was composed some time before the match-fixing controversy in early 2000, in which key players from several countries were either found to have thrown, or were suspected of throwing, matches in return for payment from bookies. This story is not about match fixing, but it does depict the one-day game (as opposed to the more traditional “test” match, played over five days), in which there is always a result. The rise of the one-day game has been coterminous with the globalisation and commodification of the sport, its incursion into unlikely places, and the spread of satellite television.

Also by Amit Chaudhuri

ALSO BY AMIT CHAUDHURI

A Strange and Sublime Address

Afternoon Raag

Freedom Song

A New World