What is cricket to Indian people? In India, cricket is not just a sport but it is a unifying force that binds people together irrespective of their cast, creed and color. Cricket has become a religion in India and most people are following this sport with great passion and devotion like a religion. You can easily find that many people have become cricket maniacs and it can be said without an iota of doubt that this cricket fever is spreading like a wildfire.
If cricket is a religion, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is the GOD. This man has played the most important role in making India a 100% cricket-crazy country in the world. Sachin played this game with utmost discipline, conviction, commitment, passion and enthusiasm and, the accomplishments of this man on the cricket field are inimitable, unbelievable and astounding as well. When a genius like Sachin plays cricket in any nation, that country is destined to become the world capital of cricket fever. Luckily, he played for India and we can proudly say that we are the blessed ones.
Nobody gave India a chance when they were competing in the 1983 World Cup final against the mighty West Indies cricket team. Although India had the super classy Gavaskar and great fighter Kapil Dev in the team, the West Indians were dominating the world like a true champion. They were almost unbeatable and players like Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding made the team look like almost invincible. Despite all these adversary circumstances, Kapil’s devils made the impossible possible and they lifted the World Cup by beating the mighty West Indian team. This win changed the way many people looked at cricket and when it comes to cricket fever, it was just a beginning.
After winning the world cup, India won the Benson and Hedges World Championship of Cricket in 1985 and this win gave the much-needed impetus to Indian cricket. Since then the Indian cricket team has been performing consistently and players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Saurav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli made invaluable contributions to take Indian cricket to great heights. The 2007 World Twenty20 tournament win made people really crazy and the whole nation stood up to appreciate the fighting qualities and spirit shown by each team member. It was not the end of the road and most people in India became real cricket fanatics with the 2011 World Cup win under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. There are many other events including winning Champions Trophy 2013, epic innings of VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid against Australia, Sachin’s heroics at Sharjah, Sachin’s 100th 100 in international cricket, Sunil Gavaskar’s achievement of becoming the first man to complete 10,000 runs and Kapil Dev becoming the highest wicket taker in the world played a very significant role in making cricket the most popular game in the country.
BCCI is one of the richest sports organizations in the world. It can be said without an iota of doubt that Late Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya was instrumental in making BCCI a well-respected sports organization in the world. When people started the following cricket with increased enthusiasm, he marketed cricket using his acute business acumen and he crafted lucrative television deals to take the popularity to a different level altogether. Many cricket experts are of the opinion that Dalmiya transformed this gentleman’s game into a money-spinning spectacle and his method of approach played a huge role in popularizing the game of cricket in many ways. His predecessors also followed his footsteps to take Indian cricket even to better heights.
If there were any people left who were speaking against cricket in India, IPL changed their perceptions and they have also become ardent fans of this wonderful sport. BCCI made IPL a complete entertainment package and the IPL season has become a festive time for the Indian spectators. These Twenty20 matches offer mind blowing experience and the quality of the games played between different teams cam match or even excel any matches that are being conducted all around the world.
Today, every cricket match is played in front of a fully packed crowd in India and, millions and millions of people are watching every game live on television as well. The cricket fever in India can be described as absolutely amazing and people in any other parts of the world watch cricket with such intensity and passion. There are more than 30 cricket stadiums in India that are capable of hosting international matches and the infrastructure available on these stadiums can match the facilities available on any international stadiums. All these aspects clearly suggest that the cricket has become the most popular sport in India and the cricket experts always say that people in India eat, drink, sleep and breathe cricket. When the intensity of the cricket fever in this country is taken into consideration, nobody can say that it is an exaggerated statement.
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