History of Cricket in India

board for control of cricket in India

Cricket is the most well-known and popular sport in India and has millions of viewers watching it on television or attending local games or playing each year. 

Cricket is not only an everyday game in India however, it is also a significant element of the past and has an important factor in connecting people from all over the world as well as domestically. 

With the current coverage on TV as well as a growing number of Cricket tournaments and betting on cricket in-play the history for cricket players in India is fascinating to study and to observe how the game has evolved.

Cricket was a sport that the English created in the 16th-century and was eventually introduced to India which comprised a significant portion in the British Empire until 1947, after World War II. 

There isn’t an exact date on the time when cricket was first introduced to India. The first match that was known to the country took place in 1721. 

A team consisting of English seamen belonging to the East India Trading Company competed in Kutch, Western India.

Although cricket was played all over the country for a while the introduction of the first official team was created in 1848, when the Parsi community of Bombay founded their own Oriental Cricket Club (OCC) Following an invitation from the OCC to participate in Europe the new players in India began to emerge. 

Calcutta was one of those who showed India’s commitment to the international cricket stage.

India began to expand its tournaments, bringing in more teams and players after being granted test match status in 1932, when they played against the England internationally based team Lord’s at London. 

After the huge crowds that gathered during the Test series between Pakistan in addition to New Zealand, Indian princes joined forces to create the Ranji Trophy in the year 1935.

The trophy was first named in honor of Ranjitsinhji prince of Nawanagar who was regarded as one of the finest cricketers in the world.

He was declared an icon by his home country. Alongside the Ranji Trophy The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) created the Irani Trophy, a kind of sequel of the Ranji Trophy to play between winners and the remainder of India.

India held the first ever test series that was officially sanctioned in 1932. However, it didn’t get a worldwide reputation until 1952 in which it was the year that the Indian national team beat England in an international test on their home turf. 

In the following year they won their first ever Test series against Pakistan. In the process, India slowly became a formidable opponent against teams at home with top players, winning numerous Test series during the 1960s and the 1970s.

When the One-Day Internationals India had to switch from offensive to defensive tactics. It was an excellent, positive coincidence for the nation as they went on to beat teams from the West Indies teams in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1983.

In the latter half of the 20th century and into the early 21st century India has produced a number of legendary cricketers who were regarded as among the greatest players in the sport’s past.

The BCCI created the first premier league in cricket in India in 2008, with a focus on the growing popularity of the T20 format. 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a fixture that has been played every year since its beginning comprising ten teams that play in a league system to determine who will advance to the semifinals and then the final.

The tournament’s creation is thought to have cost about $400 million. Its focus on franchises as well as its ability to attract the top players has seen its value increase to billions over the past few years.