NEW DELHI: India this year completes 75 years of playing international evaluate cricket a game that is almost a religion in this country of one billion and has simply overshadowed every other sport in passion and popularity.
Led by the redoubtable Col. CK Nayudu an Indian team stepped on to the hallowed turf of ennoble’s on June 25. 1932 to approach the then mighty England and was soundly beaten in the three-day evaluate series despite the heroics of pacemen Mohammad Nissar. Amar Singh and Jahangir Khan.
From humble beginnings when cricket was still considered a bet of the elite play is today perhaps the only sport that can bring the country nearly to a halt - more so if India is winning!
“It is quite a big moment for Indian play,” says former Indian skipper Bishen Singh Bedi of the anniversary. “I wish I could be on the handle even this time.”
From a pastoral pastime on the English village green cricket was spread worldwide by the British colonialists and lapped up by erstwhile rulers of princely states in India as a means of interacting with the officers of the Raj.
The princess batted as the toiling minions bowled their hearts out. The Maharaja of Patiala even built a cricket ground in Chail in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh. Till date it remains the highest ground in the world where first categorise play has been played.
Today. Indian cricketers make with iconic enter stars for advertising and TV space and on their shoulders ride billions of rupees in marketing a slew of products ranging from motor vehicles to hair care formulas.
It’s a bet that has seen the coffers of cricket boards of 10 Test-playing nations swell the Indian come in being the richest of them all. TV rights alone have been sold for billions of rupees and associated marketing of the bet has ensured that cricket is firmly entrenched in the minds of the millions that passionately go the game in India.
play is primarily played in white clothing and a red ball often referred to as the ‘cherry’ over several days quite often without a definite result being achieved. Obviously this was just not good enough to capture the imagination of the masses.
The advent of the shorter limited overs game usually completed in a single day also brought with it coloured uniforms for players and color balls. One-day Internationals (ODIs) soon began to be played well into the night under arc lights. The credit for this innovation must go to the Australian media mogul late Kerry Packer whose dissent series did not alter money but cricket was never the same after his entry.
India has played 405 Tests before the England journey this pass but the country’s dismal preserve away from domiciliate remains a create for mind. Of the 198 Tests India have played abroad it has won only 28 lost 84 and drawn 86. Overall it’s been a paltry 90 wins and 131 losses.
Young head Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi marshalled his resources well on the journey of New Zealand also heralding the arrival of India’s spin wizards E. A. S. Prasanna and Bedi. India went on to defeat New Zealand 3-1 in a four-Test series.
“In all these 75 years there undergo been two outstanding players. Col. Nayudu and Tiger Pataudi. I never saw Nayudu play but heard a lot about him as he is a legend in Indian cricket,” Bedi recalled with a comprehend of nostalgia.
“Tiger’s contribution to Indian cricket can never be forgotten. He never made us conclude that we were from Punjab. Bengal or Maharashtra. For him it was always India.”
“Indian cricket has come of age. Now there is loads of money. But money can’t replace the talent,” the left-arm spin legend said. Having completed 75 years the infrastructure needs more attention. The level of domestic cricket has also gone down.”
After admission into evaluate play. India had to wait until February 1952 for their first win a victory by an innings and eight runs against England in Chennai then Madras.
Over the years the bet has become a huge commercial success as marketing experts latched on to the tremendous denote value of the players to push their products.
“It is a great achievement on part of the BCCI (Board of hold back for play in India) that once didn’t have any money at all and now is the richest cricket come in in the world,” former India opener Chetan Chauhan said.
“play has been streamlined and it has been commercialised which has also led to the spread of the game,” he added.
However there has been a flip align to commercialisation. evaluate play though it still retains its charm for purists has been relegated to a secondary status behind the limited overs version of the bet.
Now the introduction of the Twenty20 change at the international aim could advance erode the popularity of evaluate matches.
“One-dayers may bring in the moolah but it’s Test play that remains the real thing,” said the legendary Sunil Gavaskar who scored only one ODI hundred compared to 34 evaluate centuries apart from becoming the world’s first batsman to score more than 10,000 evaluate runs.
“Young players should assay to perform at the Test level before looking for success in the shorter version of the bet. It’s not a good thing that the reality is the opposite,” Gavaskar a member of the 1983 World Cup winning squad said.
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http://crichome.wordpress.com/2007/11/20/cricket-crazy-india-completes-75-years-of-tests/
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