Why the craze of cricket is not going to stop anytime soon?
In India, cricket is by far the most played sport. Every region in the nation participates in this game. Even if other sports, such as football, hockey, basketball, etc., have become more popular recently, cricket has maintained its appeal. In fact, millions of people watch it on TV in addition to being an admired game. Both print and internet media are now very interested in cricket news. Cricket has become the most played sport in India for a number of reasons.
India has gone on to emerge victorious in major ICC tournaments.
A game like a cricket has gone on to derive popularity due to the laurels that it has received at the international level. The performance of the country in the last few ICC tournaments has indeed generated a lot of attention in the last few years. In the year 2003, they reached the finals and toppling it off on April 2nd, 2011, the country emerged victorious. In the last edition of the world cup in 2019, India was unlucky to lose to New Zealand. For the latest updates on cricket news now you can log on to the digital media as various write-ups are available.
They were hot favourites to win the tournament, and it seemed like a form of national mourning was declared all over the country. India has crowned the T20 champions in the inaugural edition. All cricket fans will remember the high-octane final game against our arch-rivals Pakistan. Joginder Sharma, who was hardly known before the game, went on to become a national hero, and MS Dhoni, as a leader, emerged on the cricketing scene. All the major tournaments that have been played have gone on to provide the cricketers with celebrity status. With numerous victories under their belt, it encourages a lot of young kids to take up the game of cricket seriously. By playing the game of cricket, they want to do something for their nation.
Quality players have increased their presence in the last few years.
Cricketers in India are considered to be gods in a place like India. Players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and the latest players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have turned out to be the center of attraction for a wider audience in India. In some parts of India, people tend to worship crickets, and this is a testimony to the popularity of a game like a cricket in India.
Most young players who start playing this game look up to these cricketers for inspiration. The non-playing members of the household are also fascinated by what these players bring to the table. They want to watch their heroes give their best performance on TV. Some of them remember the statistics and numbers of their favourite players in the back of their minds. One of the most popular topics of conversation among cricket fans in the country is healthy debate and banter.
The BCCI’s Role
BCCI has grown to become one of the wealthiest, but it is also known as a popular board. No longer do they have to depend on the Indian government for any form of finance. They call their cricket shots when it comes to running the game in the country. The BCCI has the ability to influence the decisions of the ICC, and the DRS was a testimony to this fact. It was one of the few boards that showed their reluctance to accept this form of technology, and for this reason, it did not attract the attention of the masses. The moment the BCCI gave its nod of approval to DRS, it became mandatory for all the cricket boards to accept the technology.
When confronted by the BCCI, the ICC appears powerless in some cases. A lot of economic power is centred in the hands of India, and India is rated as one of the top cricketing bases worldwide. The headquarters of the ICC were removed from London to Dubai a few years back. Some of the powerful heads of the BCCI have gone on to hold prominent positions in the ICC. So, it is obvious that the popularity of the game of cricket is here to stay.
These are some of the reasons why cricket has gone on to become one of the popular games in India.
The IPL has changed the landscape of the game of cricket in India.
Winning the T20 World Cup in India altered the landscape of the Indian cricket game. In the year 2007, the BCCI, one of the most powerful boards in the world, went on to launch the lucrative Cricket League. Aside from cricket, this league was given a sense of flamboyance and aura. It was a perfect combo of sports and entertainment that changed the dynamics of cricket.
Because of the game’s popularity in India, Hollywood stars are unaware that their films may fall flat in terms of numbers. They are sure that people will be glued to their TV sets and not watch their movies. Another interesting aspect of the IPL is that the game of cricket is no longer restricted to a few major cricketing hubs like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, or Delhi. It has even reached small towns like Jaipur, Ranchi, etc. Interestingly, Jaipur has its own team in the IPL, and the pink city draws a sizable crowd to their games. The stakes, as well as media rates in IPL, are increasing with each passing year.
Playing a game of cricket doesn’t set you back a lot of money. Anyone from a lowly background is welcome to participate in a cricket match. Cricket players only need a bat and a ball to play the game. The majority of cricket players have begun practicing in the nearby gullies. In gully cricket, a tennis ball or a taped ball is used instead of the leather ball that is used in international cricket.
