Predominant sport of India
In India, cricket is one of the most popular sports. The
popularity of cricket is such that many people see it as a religion instead of
just a sport. Anytime there is a cricket match, cricket fans will leave
everything aside and just focus on their TV screen. The popularity of cricket
is not only curtailed to watching it on TV. Many young children and adults
participate in gully cricket on the streets to actively showcase their love for
the game. It would not be wrong to say that cricket is something that unites
the nation. There are more than a few reasons why Indians love cricket so much.
In its nature and form, cricket is a straightforward sport. All
it needs is two players and a bat and a ball. Of course, professional-level cricket
is played in between 22 players, but off the field, even two people can enjoy a
quick game of cricket. Moreover, you do not need a lot of space to play
cricket. It can be enjoyed even in the cramped streets of India. Indians don’t
just watch and enjoy a cricket game; they immerse themselves in it.
Independent
India was proud of its achievements in field hockey—six gold medals in a row
between 1928 and 1956. Soccer too was popular, as the national team won two
Asian Games golds, the Merdeka Cup and Quadrangular Tournament in addition to
other trophies. But following two wars in the 70s, sports seemed to take a back
seat in popularity to politics. It was in this landscape that the Indian
cricket team led by Kapil Dev, a 20-something skipper, won the 1983 Cricket
World Cup.
The
1983 World Cup was thanks to the advent of television in India watched by
millions. It was seen by millions that India can defeat strong teams, the event
generated a wave of euphoria among the masses that was never witnessed before.
That victory was the match that lit the explosion in cricket.
1990 India's economy opens and at the same time multinational
companies enter India. At the same time cable TV was reaching households. Multinational companies wanted to
choose a game to advertise. Cricket emerged as an angel. The international
company wanted to choose a game that could show the maximum number of ads in
it. And in cricket, it could show one ad after each over.
After becoming world T20 champions, the Indian
Premier League was started in India by the BCCI. It is the most popular T20
league in the world. The combination of entertainment and sport has been a huge hit in the country.
When IPL is being played, even popular Bollywood stars don't release films for
the fear of not getting enough traction for their movies. IPL has helped to
take cricket to smaller centres such as Bhubaneshwar and Ranchi. The IPL is
getting bigger and more popular every passing year.