Bowled, But Not Out-Ruchira Khanna

Book: Bowled, But Not Out
Authors: Ruchira Khanna
Publisher: Self Published

What would you do if you were stuck in a marriage with no hope?

Bowled, But Not Out by Ruchira Khanna is the story of Saru Bhatia, a steadfast woman, who loves to take challenges head on. A chance encounter makes her meet Sumeet Bajaj, and sparks happen, and after a short courtship, they get married. Saru expected her life to turn for the better when she found love and married. Instead, she kept getting deliberate Yorkers from her mother-in-law. Things were expected to change  when a baby arrived, but things got worse soon after. Her appeal to the umpire fell on deaf ears. Finally, she walked out of the stadium, and let go of the first love of her life, and moved to the US to pursue Masters. The question is, what happens in Saru’s life and does she get a second chance? Bowled, but Not Out is an entertaining family drama full of heart and thoughtful life lessons and will resonate with anyone fond of cricket.

Cricket and Family Drama have one thing in common, you cannot predict what happens. The same happens with the story of the book. The plot incorporates an interesting idea that compares Saru’s life with a cricket match, and each of the incidents is compared with a type of an element of a cricket match, which makes the story quite engaging. The book basically explores the idea of love, and how family is an important aspect of one’s life, and how it can affect a person. The story also highlights the importance of boundaries (cricket, and otherwise) in life and how that can make even love disappear when they are crossed. Another aspect that Ruchira explores is the relationship between a Mother-In-Law and Daughter-In-Law, and does an interesting comparison by introducing two parallel relationships. The cricket references make the story fun, but they tend to become less frequent towards the end, and I would have loved to see a bit more of them. Another thing that could have been improved is the American perspective on Indian events. The climax is touching and interesting which provides a good closure to the reader.

Coming to the characters, Ruchira has focused quite a lot on the parents, both Saru’s and Sumeet’s. The comparison is quite stark, and the changes that occur in Sushma, the Colonel and Usha based on the events shows the detailing the author has put in the story. Another character that I would like to mention is that of Rita, and it is commendable how just a few incidents can make a reader hate a particular character to the core, and Ruchira manages to get that done. Sumeet’s character was well crafted and is well suited to the part he plays in Saru’s story.

Overall, a recommendation if you love family drama and cricket. This book scores a 4.13/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book here.