It has been said that whether one loves India or hates it, it is a country with an infinite capacity for surprise. The same can be said of the sport that permeates the very fabric of the country, dominating the public mind and causing euphoria and heartbreak in equal measure.

In 'A Maidan View: The Magic of Indian Cricket', Mihir Bose examines cricket's influence on India, from the unorganized beginnings to the widespread growth that has led to India becoming the commercial backbone of the sport worldwide. He explores the social factors that led to the game's development, from the early adoption by the princes and the Parsi community to the growth of the office teams that featured Test stars. According to Bose, the critical decision by Nehru to be a part of the Commonwealth after Independence ensured that cricket remained in India. The game was further fostered in the country by the nouveau riche taking to the sport as a symbol of their wealth, gully cricket with an assortment of 'rules' and 'fielders' and more recently, the television rights revolution of the 1990s.

Bose's socio-historical look at cricket in India has personal reflections and memories of great cricket matches and carries some wonderful anecdotes and forgotten stories amidst thought-provoking commentary.