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 in India and South Asian countries throughout the subcontinent, the British East India Company and later the British Government in India took the game with them wherever they went.
Introduction of Cricket to India
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.
Cricket in Modern Era
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.
History of Indian Cricket
The history of Indian Cricket is quite an old one, as the game first came to India during the middle half of the nineteenth century. The Indian people started playing the game in an organized for the first time in the year 1848 and a place named Sylhet (presently situated in Bangladesh) is considered to be the birthplace Indian Cricket. During that period, Cricket in India was mainly played between several Cricket clubs that came into existence to promote the game in the country.
Indian Cricket Clubs
The first one of the Indian Cricket clubs was the Parsee Oriental Cricket Club. After that numerous Cricket clubs have been established in India and they are still operating with the same view of promoting the game in the country.
The Indian Cricket has so far seen numerous events that have brought both glory and condemnation for the Indian Cricket enthusiasts. The events in Indian Cricket actually depict the entire journey of Cricket in India so far.
Indian Cricket Players
The Indian Cricket players have shown numerous memorable performances in various occasions both on home soil and overseas, latest being the World Cup 2011 win at home. Apart from the internationally acclaimed and appreciated Indian Cricket players, there are also a large number of cricketers in India, who play at the district, state or national levels. Almost all the Indian state level cricketers have the potentiality of becoming the stars of tomorrow and in fact, they are main source for getting talented cricketers in the Indian national Cricket team. The excellence of the Indian cricketers has earned them several prestigious awards and almost all the great cricketers went on to becomeArjuna Awardees in Cricket, later in their career
Modern Indian Cricket Associations
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which runs and manages cricket in India, was established in the year 1928 and most of the other Indian Cricket associations were formed within the next two to three decades. All the associations are working with the same objective of promoting the game in India and improving the status of Indian Cricket. They are taking a lot of initiatives for achieving their goals and organising different tournaments at various levels, is one of their most important activities. The Cricket tournaments in India are mainly organised with a view to bring up new talents from the grass route level and keep the supply line for the national team, intact.
Cricket Tournaments in India
The Cricket tournaments in India that have earned international recognition include the Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, BCCI Corporate Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Indian Premier League, Inter-State T20 Championship, Senior women`s one day league, Duleep Trophy and many others. The latest sensation in the cricket tournaments in India has been the Indian Premier League (IPL) that has brought a sea change in Indian Cricket.
Indian Cricket Stadiums
India is quite famous for having some of the greatest Cricket stadiums all over the world that have all the necessary modern facilities to organize an international match successfully. The oldest Cricket stadium in India is the Eden Gardens at Kolkata. Some of the other prominent Indian Cricket stadiums include the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Punjab C.A. Stadium, Sardar Patel Stadium, Vidarbha C.A. Ground, etc. The Indian Cricket stadiums host different kinds of matches both domestic and international, from time to time.
Indian National Cricket Team
Indian cricket team is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Indian cricket team is ranked first in Tests, fourth in ODIs and second in T20Is by the ICC. Virat Kohli is the current captain of the team across all formats, while former Test captain Anil Kumble is the head coach.
Indian National Cricket Team for Women
Indian National Cricket Team for Women made its Test debut in 1976, against the West Indies, and its One Day International (ODI) debut at the 1978 World Cup, which it hosted. Indian National Cricket Team for Women made the final of the 2005 World Cup, losing to Australia by 98 runs, and has made the semi-finals on three other occasions (in 1997, 2000, and 2009). Indian National Cricket Team for Women has also made the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 on two occasions (2009 and 2010).
All the ODI matches in India and Test matches in India have been organized in the premier Cricket stadiums. Apart from the Indian Cricket associations, there are also numerous Cricket academies in India. The Indian Cricket Academies are playing an important role in nurturing the young talent and presenting talented cricketers to the country.