In India, there are several types of field sports played by the players. Some of the Indian field games are football, cricket, hockey and other Indian athletics.
Indian Football
The game of Football in India is played and enjoyed by a large number of people. The history of Indian Football is not that ancient, as it was brought in India by the British rulers, during the middle half of the 19th century. The game earned popularity among the Indian people within no time and since then; it has been one of the most popular and widely played sports in India. The history of Indian Football has presented a large number of glorious and memorable events that the Indian people cherish even today. The events like Mohun Bagan winning the IFA-Shield Cup, the Indian national team winning several trophies in the Asian Games, SAF Games, reaching the Semi-Finals of Olympic Games are some of the most memorable, amongst them. Apart from the Indian National Men`s Football Team, the Indian National Women`s Football Team has also earned a lot of recognition and reputation in the international arena.
Hockey in India
Hockey in India is the National Game and is also considered to be one of the most popular games in India. India has earned lot of recognition in all over the world by showing the excellence in the game of Hockey. Hockey in India started its journey years back. The British introduced, hockey in India in the 19th century. After this there was no looking back. Hockey in India established itself as one of the popular games.
The first hockey club in India was established in Calcutta (present day Kolkata) in the year 1885-86 and soon more clubs were established in the cities like Bombay and Punjab. The Hockey association in Bengal, the Bengal Hockey was the first Hockey Association in India and it came into existence in the year 1908. After this, several other Hockey associations were introduced in the States like different states like Bombay (presently called as Mumbai), Bihar, Orissa and Delhi.
As the game of Hockey increased its popularity in India in a rapid pace and the Indians started to show their excellence in the game, the Indian Hockey team got a chance to play in the Olympic Games in 1928. Making debut in the Olympic Games in Amsterdam, the Indian hockey team stunned the world and clinched its first Olympic gold without conceding a single goal. The all time legendary Indian Hockey player, Dhyan Chand was the star in this great victory of India. After winning Gold in the Olympic Games, 1928, the Indian Hockey team continued its dominance for the next several years. India won six straight Olympic Gold medals from 1928 to 1956 and it also won 24 consecutive matches in Olympic Games, during this period. The period is considered to be the most glorious and golden era in the entire history of Hockey in India.
Indian Cricket
Indian Cricket is a richest sporting brand in the world. The game of cricket is very popular sport in India, and development of the same has been closely tied up with the history of the country. With the expansion of British rule throughout the subcontinent, the British took the game with them wherever they went. The British first introduced cricket to India in 18th century. The early history of cricket was focused largely on the large cities. By 1900s the metros like Bombay (now Mumbai), Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Madras (now Chennai) were exposed to the game. Presidency matches started in 1892-93 between the Parsis and Europeans. With the Hindus too joining in, the tournament became the Bombay Triangular in 1907-08. Almost half a decade later in 1912-13, the entry of the Muslims made it a quadrangular.
In the recent era, Indian Cricket has also been considered as one of the powerhouses of Cricket in the entire world and one of the premier contributors to the development of Cricket. Apart from the Indian men, the Indian women also play Cricket for quite some time now. The Women Cricket in India has flourished in a great way, in the recent years.