Except to grow a thin black mustache—a ‘statement,’ [Mohan] declared, of protest against his ill luck with women—he never complained; he never again looked back; he simply transferred all his hopes in life onto young Radha Kumar.
-- Narration ("Three Years Before Selection Day, Eighth Standard")

Importance: This quote comes at the end of an extended anecdote regarding the permanenet departure of Mahan’s wife. While this event is addressed earlier in the book, this quotation uses it to contextualize Mohan’s obsession with making his son Radha the best cricket batter in the world. Mohan appears to use it as a way of giving himself a goal in life. The fact that this determination comes from the trauma of his wife leaving gives Mohan’s obsession a tragic dimension, although Mohan is still presented in many ways as an antagonist.

Manju was now batting to protect his father.
-- Narration ("Ninth Standard Continues")

Importance: In light of the quickly deteriorating relationship between Manju...