Meet the ULTIMATE INDIAN CRICKET CHAMPIONS SERIES authored by Harismita Vaideswaran and published by Juggernaut. This series is India’s first dedicated cricket biography series for children in the age group of 8-10 years. There are 6 books in this series which have been reviewed by our children members!!
Titles In The Series:
ULTIMATE INDIAN CRICKET CHAMPIONS : Virat Kohli
ULTIMATE INDIAN CRICKET CHAMPIONS : Rohit Sharma
ULTIMATE INDIAN CRICKET CHAMPIONS : Shubman Gill
Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions: Hardik Pandya
Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions: Suryakumar Yadav
Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions: R. Ashwin
1) Title: The Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions – Shubman Gill
Author: Harismita Vaideswaran
Genre: Non-fiction / Biography
Publisher: Juggernaut
Length:136 pages
Type: Paperback
Recommended Age Group: 8 to 13/14 years
Ayesha (age 13 yrs), is a huge Shubham Gill fan. She has shared her review and inside pages in the kbc fb group here. Excerpts:
The book Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions: Shubman Gill is an inspiring read that celebrates the rise of one of India’s brightest young talents. It highlights Gill’s journey from his early days to becoming a dependable batsman for the national team, showing his dedication, discipline, and fearless stroke play. The writing is simple and engaging, making it easy for young readers and cricket fans to connect with his story. Overall, it’s a motivating book that captures the spirit of hard work and passion in cricket.
The book also shows how Shubman Gill’s calm nature and respect for the game make him special. It talks about important matches where he stayed strong even when the team was under pressure, proving that patience and confidence are just as important as talent. Readers get to see not only his cricket skills but also his simple lifestyle and positive attitude, which make him a true role model. By mixing stories from his personal life with his cricket journey, the book teaches that success comes from hard work, staying focused, and loving what you do. It’s a story that encourages young fans to dream big and never give up.
Aspects that make this book special:
- Easy & Simple language
- Inspirational Quotes by Shubman Gill at the end of each chapter
- Simple Illustrations that help the readers connect with the book. Though colourful illustrations would have been more welcoming.
- At the end of the book a quick summary of his scores in all kinds of formats of the game gives a brilliant insight of his achievements.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan, looking to open your inning with the sport, or simply curious about one of India’s top talents, grab this book and all others in the series.
2) Title: The Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions – Rohit Sharma
Recommend age: 7-12 years and all cricket lovers
Advit (Achira’s younger son – Adu to all of us!) is 9 years old and a Rohit Sharma fan! You can find his review with inside pages in the kbc fb group here. Quoting him:
“I will be honest that I didn’t know much about cricket till the IPL started. When I started following IPL, there was a certain player that I loved watching. It was none other than the mighty Rohit Sharma and I was very keen to know more about his journey.
When I won the prize and got this book, I was very excited to dig into it. The first thing I learnt about him is that he is a fellow Mumbaikar. That makes it special, right?!
Rohit Sharma, originally from Nagpur shifted to Mumbai with his parents for a better life. But in an expensive city like Mumbai, he couldn’t live with his parents and had to stay on the other side of Mumbai with his grandparents and uncles. He missed his parents and cricket filled the loneliness he felt staying away from them. Every day after school, he used to play cricket with his younger brother and his local friends. Meeting his idol Virender Sehwag made him realise that gully cricket was not enough! But he came from a poor family where 8 of them lived in a 100 square ft house and he could barely afford going to a cricket camp that costed Rs 800. Such was the hardship that he faced. But that didn’t break his confidence to achieve his dream of becoming a professional cricketer. His persistence led him to getting a scholarship in a better school where he could pursue his dream. All through the book what I loved the most is what his Ajji told him- “Ask for help when you need it-ask with your head held high”.
This became his guding force and always stayed with him which helped him overcome many difficulties in his journey.
From a boy playing gully cricket on the streets of Mumbai, it was his hard work and dedication that took him to the biggest stadiums across the world!
Originally he was supposed to be a bowler, but he became one of the greatest batsman we all adore. He captained the Indian cricket team and led Team India to many glorious victories.
The part of his story I liked the most is that he dared to dream even though he came from a poor family. He followed his dreams and never gave up. Shows how one can achieve anything if you set your mind and believe you can achieve it!
Loved the book and the illustrations. But the best part is that at the end of every chapter there is a quote from the legend himself. There is also a fact file at the end which covers his major stats and I totally loved knowing more about my favourite cricketer.”
3) Title: The Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions – Suryakumar Yadav
Recommend age: 7 years onwards
Amardeep shared this review and inside pages here in the kbc fb group. In her words:
“Neil is not too interested in cricket, so I was doubtful if he would read this book he received as a prize – Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions! Thankfully, his book was about Suryakumar Yadav, and Neil had watched his iconic catch during the World cup, so it piqued his interest.
The book is written in a way that is engaging for both cricket enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts. While ardent cricket followers will enjoy knowing greater details about the matches, and how Yadav trains- for others, the book offers an insight into the mindset of achievers. What is it that sets them apart from others? Every chapter has a box at the end with quotes from either the cricketer himself, or from his coaches, that tells us something about him. Neil’s favourite quote was “The harder you work, the luckier you get”.
These books are inspiring, and make for a great read for all ages.”
4) Title: ULTIMATE INDIAN CRICKET CHAMPIONS : Virat Kohli
Age: 8 years+
Mahima has shared her 10 year old son, Aarav’s review with some inside pages here in the fb group. Excerpts:
“WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO, DO IT WITH FULL PASSION AND WORK REALLY HARD TOWARDS IT. DON’T LOOK ANYWHERE ELSE. THERE WILL BE A FEW DISTRACTIONS.”
– VIRAT KOHLI
“Reading this mini biography of him made me want to know more about him as a person and a player. Did you know he picked his first bat at the age of 3? His parents, especially his father, saw his fire and passion for the game when he was very young. From playing in gully (street) cricket to joining his first Cricket Academy – West Delhi Cricket Academy and rising to ICC level – wow! I am in total awe of him, reading through the pages I felt that there were days he struggled but wasn’t understood. Amma told me that as an audience when a player or the team doesn’t perform well, we judge them. It made me think that if we, who are not playing feel so much pressure, imagine the pressure on these players.
From being a street food lover to becoming a complete vegan and training hard to maintain his health to be the best is what sets his principles apart. Imagine leaving the side of his lifeless father to play the game. It sounds so uncomfortable, but he chose the game knowing his father Mr. Prem Kholi would have encouraged him to do so. He has openly conversed about his challenges and that shows his true love for the game.
Being the first Indian to score a century as a debutant in an International Cricket World Cup game is so amazingggggg. After reading the book I did some research and it said he initially had a quick temper, but eventually he toned it down to be a better player.
His title wins for RCB – 2025 and 2026 are what stand out as that’s where he says he has spent the prime and youth of his gaming career.
Bringing home the T20 in 2024 and the Champions Trophy 2025 which started slow for him, but he brought about the turning point in the game giving his best and winning the titles, stand out for him and the country even today. Did you know he beat the legendary Sachin Tendulkar in scoring the fastest 14000 ODI runs?
He is known as Cheeku, like a boy next door, but I think King Kohli is perfect…. He’ll probably remain my favourite player and legend!”
5) Title – Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions – R. Ashwin
Age – 8 years+
Priyanka has shared her 9 year old daughter’s review with inside pages in the kbc fb group here. Excerpts:
“I started reading the book and finished it quickly. I really enjoyed reading the interesting stories about Ashwin’s life and learned many new and inspiring things about him. It was a fun and interesting read.
Ashwin had always dreamt of playing for Indian Cricket team since he was a child. He started playing with his friends on the narrow lanes from a very young age. As he grew older, he began taking cricket coaching and with the support and encouragement of his father and Thatha, he started working hard to achieve his dream.
For Ashwin, missing cricket practice never meant missing cricket. If he could not go to the academy for some reason, he would happily play gully cricket with his friends in the lanes of Ramakrishnapuram 1st Street. The boy from Chennai worked very hard, practiced every day and trained himself to get a chance in the Indian Cricket Team.
Ashwin faced many challenges on his journey to becoming a great cricketer. One of the toughest moments came when he suddenly suffered from severe back pain and could not move his toes also. The entire family was scared that it could have stopped him from playing cricket forever. After multiple hospital visits, he was advised to take complete rest.
It was a very difficult time for him, but Ashwin stayed strong and never gave up. He slowly recovered and came back to cricket again. His hard work and fighting spirit helped him achieve something amazing. He became the only player in Test Cricket history to have scored six test centuries and taken 500 wickets.
Although Ashwin has retired from international cricket, he still continues to practise and stay connected with the game he loves.
The Greater Chennai Corporation has also announced that the street where Ashwin learned his first lessons in cricket will be named after him. I think this is a wonderful way to honour his journey from playing cricket in the streets to representing India.
I am a Virat Kohli fan, but really enjoyed reading Ashwin’s biography.”
6) Title: Ultimate Indian Cricket Champions – HARDIK PANDYA
Age: 7+ years
Meghla shared her 9 yo son’s review and inside pages in the kbc fb group here. Excerpts:
“Once from a small town, Hardik Pandya was an ambitious boy who loved playing cricket. He would play gully cricket with his mates every day after school. Though he broke lots of windows and had angry neighbours at his house, he never stopped believing. This story shows ambition, hard work and how a young boy with attitude problems, kept on following his dreams and became one of the most famous cricketers in India. You need to read the book to know more about Hardik Pandya’s journey.
This book has 11 small chapters and 1 epilogue with lots of attractive black & white pictures. It has big & clear fonts, easy and lucid language which makes the book attractive for kids to read. At the end of every chapter there is a quotation from Hardik. The end of the book also features an enriched and informative fact file.”
Got goosebumps? Feel insipired? Love cricket and want to know more about your favourite legends? Be sure to order the series from Amazon (kbc affiliate link),
CLICK & BUY NOW!Disclaimer: Ayesha, Adu, Neil, Aarav, Meghla and Priyanka won this book as a prize in the #kbcUltimateFathersDay Contest powered by Juggernaut and kbc.
