Cricket, Concrete, and Consciousness: Urban Magical Realism as Psychogeographic Critique in Arvind Adiga’s Selection Day

Abstract

Arvind Adiga's Selection Day moves beyond straightforward realism by weaving elements of magical realism into its portrayal of Mumbai, converting the city from backdrop to sentient psychogeographic actor. Throughout the novel, the fantastical seeps into everyday life, and through cricket's rituals, dreams, and cruel statistics, Mumbai is portrayed as both stage and player in a game shaped by merciless economic and social divisions. This imagined city beats with a surreal heartbeat: dusty playgrounds become haunted arenas, crumbling tenements whisper curses, and every six, miss, or poorly timed run echoes the weight of history that refuses to stay buried. Against this vivid landscape, brothers Manju and Radha Kumaraswami chase shining ambitions even as shadows of poverty, corruption, and family expectation twist their identities and scrape the ground beneath their feet. Building on these images, this paper argues that Adiga means his urban magic less as pure flights of whimsy and more as concrete proof that the city’s bricks and concrete can brand mind and fate, and that recognising this link may be the first act of defiant possibility.