WHY CRICKET BOOM IN INDIA?

Cricket is undoubtedly the most famous sport famous sport in India. The boom of this game in the hearts of Indians was very rapid. Indian fields got transformed into cricket ground. Rather different from hockey which was once the greatest game in India, cricket was able to gain extreme popularity in every nook and corner of all Indian villages. The rules of this ‘bat and ball game’ are an essay able topic for every chap in this country.

Cricket is believed to have originated from the leisure time activities of Shepherds of northern England. As the time rolled out, there came a lot of rules and changes in the game and is now known as ‘The Cricket’. Cricket was introduced in India during the colonialization period of the British. Though the British showed footballing it couldn’t gain much popularity as that of cricket. Then what made cricket boom in India..?

The most important reason for the popularity of this sport is undoubtedly the winning of the 1983 cricket world cup by the Kapil’s Devils. The surprising victory of a below average team against the former world cup champions (West Indians) supercharged the spirit of Indian cricket. The dailies throughout the world enjoyed the incredible victory. People began to see India as a growing super power in cricket.

The formation of ‘Asian Cricket Board’ after the world cup victory also helped cricket in India. The Indian camp had to face many difficulties during the world cup tour. This triggered the then BCCI (Board for Control of Cricket in India) members to take an initiative to form the Asian Cricket Board. This united the cricket of Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan etc. The newly formed board enabled the Indian cricket to express their voice and acquire their rights.

The vast amount of money the BCCI made through advertizing also helped the growth of Indian cricket. The players got big salaries apart from the achievements they made individually and their standard of living was lifted to a higher level. Rather than becoming a sport cricket became a business as an effect of this.

The names such as Dawood Ibrahim was very important once in Indian cricket. Money flooded in the cricket fields like anything due to gambling and other third rated activities. Though this remains as a black mark, it helped in the growth of cricket up to a large fraction.

Another important reason is the coming up of world class cricketers like the Fabulous Five – Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble. These players of impeccable records are also among the top class cricketers of all time. They inspired the whole cricketing world and was always epitomes in field as well as in life.

The galleries which were once empty got filled up. The overpopulated audience also helped in the performance of players and also brought huge money.

Cricket academies like the National School of Cricket, MRF Pace foundation, Cricket India Academy etc, helped in developing good cricketers through high quality coaching and use of modern equipment and facilities. Rather than becoming a part time cricketer these institutions provided the talented, a career of vast opportunities.

Definitely the ‘Men in Blue’ has inspired as a lot during the last thirty years of cricketing. The game once played by the privileged class of the society has now become the game of all, the game of common man.

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