Candid moments from the book launch of “Solly Adam - Beyond Boundaries” by Vara Vantapati

Candid moments from the book launch event of “Solly Adam - Beyond Boundaries” by Vara Vantapati, Foreword by Sunil Gavaskar and Javed Miandad, book launch event at Headingley Cricket Stadium in Leeds (England).
This book, “Solly Adam - Beyond Boundaries” contains numerous untold and sensational stories about a love for cricket, as well as fascinating details that fans may not know about many players.
Inspired by Solly Adam’s remarkable journey, Vara Vantapati has determined and became passionate to share Solly’s stories with the world and worked tirelessly for 2.5 years to bring this wonderful story out.
It is available on Amazon India and Amazon UK.
Amazon India: amzn.in/d/eephztZ
Amazon UK: amzn.eu/d/0GCo0TD
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Short Bio of Solly Adam:
Solly (Suleman) Adam (Born in Gujarat, in 1945):
Solly Adam, a successful league cricketer in Yorkshire (England) and businessman, not only excelled in his professional career but also mentored and assisted over 400 cricketers from the subcontinent. Among them, nearly 150 cricketers went on to play international cricket. Since 1975, Solly served as a guiding figure for sub-continent cricketers in England.
His home was always open to cricketers, and at one point, as many as 16-18 cricketers would stay there while sorting out their club contracts. Solly played a key role in the development of many cricketers' careers, and the media often referred to him as the ‘Unofficial Indian Selector.’ This was because, at one point, 9 out of the 11 players in the Indian team were associated with Solly through club contracts or endorsements.
Solly Adam signed Sachin Tendulkar to a contract with Yorkshire County in 1992, which became a historic moment. During that time, it was an unusual practice for a cricketer from outside Yorkshire to play for the county, as there was a long-standing tradition that only local players were considered. Sachin broke that tradition in 1992 with Solly Adam's help. In a video message, Sachin recalled this significant moment in his career, describing his time at Yorkshire as a key turning point that greatly helped his career. Sachin expressed his gratitude to Solly Adam for the support and opportunities he provided.
The cricketers mentored by Solly Adam have left their mark in both First-Class and international cricket. Some of these cricketers include, from India: Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli, VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer, Abey Kuruvilla, Nilesh Kulkarni, Mohammad Kaif, Sairaj Bahuthule, Vijay Mohan Raj, Sameer Dighe, Noel David, and Sanjay Bangar; from Pakistan: Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim, Shahid Mahboob, Rashid Khan, Mansoor Akhtar, Anwar Khan, Masood Anwar, Sajid Ali, and Amin Lakhan; and from England: Paul Jarvis, Mike Smith, Chris Pickles, and Phil Carrick.
Solly had strong friendships with many cricketers from different eras, including several cricket legends. Among them, from India: Farokh Engineer, Mohinder Amarnath, Madan Lal, Syed Abid Ali, Gundappa Vishwanath, Kapil Dev, Karsan Ghavri, Syed Kirmani, Dilip Vengsarkar, Roger Binny, and Mohammad Azharuddin; from Pakistan: Hanif Mohammad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Majid Jahangir Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Zaheer Abbas, Mudassar Nasar, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Shahid Afridi; and from other countries: Sir Geoff Boycott, Sir Richard Hadlee, Sir Ian Botham, and Alvin Kallicharan.
Solly played a significant role in helping cricketers secure club contracts, endorsements, and bat contracts. On one occasion, he arranged a bat contract for Kapil Dev and Imran Khan with County Sports. Additionally, he facilitated the first bat contract with Slazenger for Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for their debut Test matches.
It is important to highlight that Solly Adam also enjoyed a 50-year-long friendship with legendary cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan (former Prime Minister of Pakistan). Sunil Gavaskar often referred to Solly as an elder brother, a sentiment he shared multiple times. In the late 1970s, Solly arranged a contract for Imran Khan with Wakefield Cricket Club for 50 pounds, which was the highest-paid contract at that time. Imran Khan stayed at Solly's house for 10 weeks, and he played under Solly's captaincy in many benefit matches.
In 1987, Thumbs Up company approached Solly Adam to arrange two cricketers for an endorsement of their soft drinks. Solly arranged for Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan to appear in a TV ad, for which they were paid 10,000 INR-a substantial amount in those days.
Solly Adam has been a fatherly figure, a close friend, and a godfather-like presence to many cricket stars from Sub-Continent.
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