At 17, Jaspal Rana announced himself to the world with a Junior World Championship gold in the 25m Standard Pistol. Over the next three decades, he became one of Indian shooting’s most recognisable champions and later a coach who helped shape a new generation.

Maverick Jaspal: A Journey Beyond the Sport, by senior sports journalists S. Kannan and G. Rajaraman, looks beyond the medals to explore the man behind the champion.

Having followed Rana for more than three decades, the authors bring together his triumphs, struggles, fierce competitiveness and often controversial personality. Rana emerges as a complex figure—intensely driven, loyal, passionate and unwilling to compromise.

The book takes on a more personal tone following Rana’s death on June 12, 2026. Kannan’s close bond with him gives the narrative an emotional dimension, while Rajaraman’s long years of reporting provide a journalist’s perspective on his evolution from prodigy to champion and coach.

One of the book’s strongest themes is Rana’s transition from winning championships to creating champions. His competitive instinct, once directed towards his own success, became a force he used to mentor others.

Rather than a conventional biography, The Maverick reads as a tribute shaped by friendship, memory and grief. It offers readers a glimpse of the personality behind the public image and asks what made Jaspal Rana such an unforgettable figure in Indian sport.

In the end, the book is less about the medals he won than the mark he left behind.