Cricket is by far the biggest, most viewed sport in India. Due to all the championships the Indian National Cricket team has won, it is now known as the national sport of the country.
Indians are very fond of the sport due to how successful it is for the name of their home country. Having won all major tournaments and championships the sport has to offer. India has produced some of the best cricket players in the world, like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev and Rahul Dravid.
And ever since the Indian Premier league was introduced, the country has become a necessary spot for all cricket fans and players from all over the world.
How it all began..
The first ever recorded Indian cricket game was played in the early 18th century, introduced by European merchant sailors, and the first ever Indian cricket team was introduced later in 1792. In 1848, the Parsi community in Bombay formed the Oriental Cricket Club, the first cricket club to be established by Indians.
After slow beginnings, the Europeans eventually invited the Parsis to play a match in 1877, and by 1912, the Parsis, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims of Bombay played a yearly tournament with the Europeans. In the start of the 1900s, a few Indians were called out to play for the English cricket team. Some of these, including KS Duleepsinhji and Ranjitsinhji were highly appreciated by both Indians and British and their names went on to be used for the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy – two major world-class level tournaments in India.
Eventually, as the sport grew, there had been a large increase in the revenue generated by the sport, mostly from tickets, merchandise and cricket betting. Cricket betting is a widely growing industry and nowadays is becoming more and more accessible by the minute. One can find out all about the cricket betting industry or get a taste of it on sites such as comeon India.
Cricket in 2020
Cricket nowadays is played exactly the same way as it was traditionally during the almost 400 year old life it’s lived among the country. It is now played by Indians of all genders and ages, like children in school during physical education, youths in high schools, colleges and universities, and even as a hobby for anyone to pass their free time.
On a more professional level, there are currently seven recurring major cricket events in which India take part; The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Irani Cup, Deodhar Trophy, Nehru Cup, the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and the Pataudi Trophy.
Conclusion
As we can see, cricket has been around for more than a while in India. It’s played and viewed by everyone and is shown a massive amount of appreciation and respect, for the bond it builds between players, and also for the success it has brought to their country. We know for sure that the Indian cricket industry will only keep growing and generating a huge amount of revenue for the sub-continent.
