From the very first time he watched Sachin Tendulkar bat as a 12-year-old boy, Adam Carroll-Smith was transfixed. He dreamed of not just bowling to the ‘Little Master’, but actually knocking his off-stump over, too. The only problem was, he was never much of a cricketer. But determined not to let a small detail like that get in the way - and eager to settle an old score with a childhood chum - Carroll-Smith spends a hilarious summer trying to achieve the unthinkable, fending off the unwanted attentions of over-zealous Indian fans, crazed Italian spiritualists and his meddling best friend – not to mention the dozens of blazered officials and luminous-jacketed stewards stood between him and his hero.

A fast-paced, uniquely comic and heart-warming account of the highs and lows of a summer spent striving to achieve the near-impossible, peppered with beer-pickled anecdotes, razor-sharp humour and a healthy dollop of farce.

The book marks former national newspaper sports reporter Adam Carroll-Smith’s literary debut