There are many sports that are played and followed by people in India like football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, etc. But with immense fan following, cricket is undoubtedly the most loved sport of all. There is no match for the popularity of cricket in India. India, a country of billions of people and only one nationally popular game is celebrated wildly. Rightly said, cricket is India’s unofficial national sport. This game is enjoyed by millions and many believe it will remain India's most popular sport for many years to come.
Cricket is a religion in India. You can find children playing cricket in every street and grounds are also fully acquired by the cricketers. From schools to canteens, cafeterias to offices all turn into a stadium when we see our team on the Cricket Ground.
The rules of cricket
The main objective of the game is to score more runs than your opponent. There are three variations of the game (Test, One Day and Twenty 20) and each give a certain timescale in which the game must be completed.
Two teams consisting of 11 players each, have varying roles in the team from batsmen, bowlers, fielders and wicketkeepers. Whilst one team bats the other bowls and fields. The aim is to bowl the opposing team out for as few runs as possible or restrict them to as few runs in the allocated time. After a team has lost all their wickets or the allotted time is over then the teams will swap their roles.
Pitch sizes vary greatly in cricket but are usually played on a circular grass field with a circumference of around 200m. In the centre of the pitch will be the wicket. The wicket will have two sets of three stumps each at either end. The distance between these two sets of stumps must be 22 yards apart. At each end of the wicket is known as the crease and a line is drawn about 2 yards across the wicket from the stumps. The bowler will bowl the cricket ball from one end while the batsmen will try and hit the ball from the other end. The bowler must bowl 6 legal deliveries to constitute an over.
The side which scores the most runs wins the match.
The increasing popularity of cricket
During the British rule in India, the favorite pastime of the Indian royalty was playing cricket. Due to royal patronage, the game soon spread among the populace and soon India had its own cricket team.
Cricket is a very budget friendly game and it can be played anywhere whether it is roof, gully or ground. A small game brings together the people of the whole country together. During a crucial cricket match we can find Cricket lovers at the office, restaurant or tea-stall.
The game's popularity soared superstars in cricket emerged but it exploded to another level post the rise of Sachin Tendulkar and live TV coverage. The latest and shortest version of the game has turned cricket into the unofficial national game. T-20s and IPLs have made cricket the most-watched game in the country. The 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup wins further strengthened the game's status as the nation's most popular sport.
