Being the most loved and played sport in India, Indian cricket has evolved to a great extent since it was introduced. It’s a sport that requires immense level of
dedication and sportsmanship. We have good everlasting memories associated with
cricket; it may be the first cricket bat with which we played or a silly
quarrel with the opponent. I bet, we all once dreamt of being a cricketer playing in a
stadium with thousands of fans chanting our names. But today virtual games have
replaced our so called ‘gully cricket’. Instead of playing outdoors children
have confined their minds to a cell phone. Those good old days……….
The official Indian jersey
India- A cricketing nation
The European sailors introduced cricket
in India. Since then India has smashed several records to become the best in
the world. India is home to many cricketing legends like Kapil Dev, Sunil
Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar to present day legends Virat Kohli, M.S Dhoni and
the list goes on. Sachin Tendulkar also known as ‘the god of cricket’ and the ‘master
blaster’holds the record of scoring hundred hundreds in international cricket.
A glance at the Indian Cricket History
Queen Elizabeth II greeting the Indian team during its tour to England in 1952
The Parsi community of Bombay established the first cricket club- The Oriental Cricket Club. Some of the budding Indian cricketers were sent to play for the British where they earned great appreciation and recognition. For eg: Ranjithsinjhi and K S Duleepsinjhi after whom tournaments namely the Ranji trophy and Duleep trophy have been respectively named.
The Imperial Cricket council invited the
Indian cricket team in 1926 and made their debut in 1932 against England. The
side was captained by C K Nayudu one of the best Indian batsman at that time.
Indian batsmen did not do great and ultimately lost by 158 runs. India hosted
England in its first ever home match in Bombay and Calcutta in the year 1933.
However the same result followed and India lost the series 2-0
India as an independent nation did not
have an impressive start to its cricketing campaign. The first match India
played as an independent nation was against Australia also known as Sir Donald
Bradman’s invincibles, a name given to the Australian side at that time. Yet, it faced defeat in the hands of the invincible Aussies. Later
it also faced defeat against the mighty Windies. And it was after 20 long
years, the moment millions of Indians were waiting for, the Indian team
registered its first ever victory on 24th March 1952 in Madras
against England. A moment of pride for all Indians........
Indian cricket began to improve during
the end of the 20th century under the lights of Gavaskar,
Vishvanath, Kapil Dev, Bishen Singh Bedi, Erpalli Prasanna, Srinivas
Venkataraghavan and Bhagwat Chandrashekar the latter four popularly known as Indian spin quartet. Since then India has had the most
successful captains like Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, M S
Dhoni and Virat Kohli
INDIA’S GOLDEN MOMENTS:
India has now claimed an eminent position
in world cricket. The men in blue have won several series at home and away. Now
let’s look at some of the glories of Indian cricket which are on the top of the
list:
1.
THE 1983 WORLD CUP (KD-83)
This was the third edition of the world cup and was held in
England and Wales. Teams which were not playing well earlier had begun to
improvise their gameplay. Teams like India and Zimbabwe scored victories
against the then cricket giants West Indies and Australia. India was captained
by the all rounder Kapil Dev and for the first time in history India entered
the finals to face the mighty Windies. India was first to bat and gave the
Windies a target of 183. India emerged victorious as they made use of the
wicket and weather conditions very well and bold the Windies out for 140 runs, one of the biggest upsets in the history of cricket. Amarnath was awarded the man of the
match for his excellent all round performance.
The victorious Indian Cricket Team of 1983
2.
THE 2011 CRICKET WORLD CUP
The 10th edition of the world cup was jointly hosted
by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The young Indian side was captained by M S
Dhoni who used well planned strategies throughout the tournament to take India
to the ultimate glory. The final match between Sri Lanka and India was a
thriller of a contest. India won, with full credits going to Gautam Gambhir and M S Dhoni (MOTM) for their outstanding knocks. Yuvarj Singh was awarded the man
of the tournament for his fantastic performance and the key role he played to take India to the finals. All though he had ill health and was
unknowingly fighting an outrageous cancer, he never lost hope and gave his best and considered it as his service to the nation.
The 2011 world cup- a tribute to the god of cricket who was playing his last World Cup
Other than the two world cups India has
also won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and the 2007 ICC T-20 world cup.
Since then the men in blue have achieved great success by achieving number one
position in all formats. Several series at home and away have been bagged by the Indian team. Indian cricket surely has a bright future.
Naari Shakthi
India's Naari Shakthi
The Indian women’s team is also making
its name in international cricket and making the nation proud. It is also a symbol
of gender equality. Today the women’s team has reached new heights by qualifying for the Women’s World Cup finals twice. The team is ranked 2nd in the
world after Australia. Many cricketers like Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana and
Deepti Sharma have made it to the top 10 in the ICC rankings. Shafali Verma was
has also held the title of No.1 batsman in ODI, T-20 and first class cricket,
just at the age of 16!! This tells us that with encouragement and appreciation
women too are very much capable of making the nation proud. They have set a wonderful example and have become an inspiration to the women in India.
Why is the Indian cricket team so successful today?
It wouldn’t be wrong if I say India is
the most successful team. This is because of the sheer dedication and
determination of the players. Some of the factors which have played a prominent
role in developing Indian cricket are as follows:
The IPL
The grandest t-20 league- the IPL
IPL (Indian Premier League) is a t-20 league held in the
Indian subcontinent since 2008. Today IPL has also become a platform for
youngsters to showcase their talent. It invites foreign players and senior
players who mentor youngsters from which they improve their gameplay. When
such players improve their game they become liable to play for their respective
national side. Players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are a few who have
made their spots in the national side through their excellent performance in the IPL.
In other words IPL ensures regular supply
of young players ready to play International cricket.
Training
Children passionate about making cricket
their career take up cricket coaching at a very young age. As and when they
learn they also play tournament in their schools or locality. Seeing this
selectors select those players who have potential to play for the district,
state, zones and then they can have a chance to play for the nation by
attending the camps conducted by the government. Also the IPL teams recruits emerging
cricketers from the Ranji Trophy. If they play good cricket in the IPL,
national selectors will be keen in giving them an opportunity to play for the nation. However it is not as easy as it sounds, only players with dedication and determination will excel. Other than this, several former cricketers like Rahul Dravid conduct coaching through their own cricket academies.Such academies have often opened the doors to success for many promising youngsters. As the saying goes 'practice makes man perfect' it is impossible to become a good cricketer without hard work and practice.
It's more than just a team
The Indian cricket team is more like a
family then just a team. The captain being the eldest sibling and the coaching staff
the parent who guides the team in the right direction. When one fails the other
will be ready to lift the team to a winning position. Cricket is a game in
which there is a winner as well as a looser. When the team loose they take the
blame as one family instead of blaming one single player making him feel
depressed. They all stand united and try to learn from their mistakes.
The Fans
People behind India's success- the fans
Indian cricket would be incomplete
without its huge fan followers. The Indian cricket team has the biggest fan
base in the world. May it be social media or supporters in the stands,
India stands first. Several fans worship cricket and hence cricket has also
become a religion. Cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, M S Dhoni and Virat Kohli have
become inspirations, idols and mentors to millions. We have also seen fans
dash through the security just to touch the feet of their idols who have claimed special position in their hearts. It is not only in India, but also when the
team goes on an international tour, the energy of the fans is the same i.e at
its highest, making the Indian players feel they are playing at home.The Indian cricket team has never disappointed the nation. It has always made the nation proud and always will.
I would like to end by saying:
“Cricket is a sport like no other”
~THANK YOU~
-S Sanjeev Bhagath
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_national_cricket_team
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