More Than Just a Sport: Cricket in India

Why cricket in India is more than a sport?

Cricket is by far the most popular played sport in India and also an important part of Indian culture.

In fact, IPL and cricket are the most popular forms of entertainment across India, with hundreds of millions of fans dedicated to them.

From the origins to the Golden Age of Indian cricket 

 

The English brought cricket to India in the early 1700s, with the first cricket match played in 1721. In 1848, the Parsi community in Bombay formed the Oriental Cricket Club, the first cricket club founded by Indians.

But it was not until 1864 that the first first-class cricket match in India was played between Madras and Calcutta. 

There are not many records or accounts of the match; however, everybody knows that the best player was Praveen Chauhan, who came from Panipat and played for Calcutta.

In total, India enjoyed two international highlights. In 1971, it won a series in England for the first time, defeating winners Ray Illingworth’s Ashes; and, in 1983, once again in England, India surprisingly won the 1983 World Cup of Cricket under the direction of Kapil Dev.

Also, in 1976 the Indian women’s team made their debut in the world of cricket, becoming the third nation in the world to introduce the sport to the female universe.

During the 1970s, the Indian cricket team began to see success abroad by beating New Zealand and holding Australia, South Africa, and England to a draw, giving rise to what would later be called the Golden Age of Indian cricket history. 

This decade (1997-2011) also saw the rise of two of the best Indian batsmen ever, Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Vishwanath.

Cricket Rules 

Cricket matches are played by two teams composed of several players not exceeding eleven on a grass field of oval or rectangular shape. The dimensions of the cricket field are very wide, but there are no limitations or precise rules, so you tend to play using all the space available. 

This allows cricket to be played anywhere, which has made it very popular in several countries. 

Like baseball, cricket is a sport with innings dividing the fractions of the game and the attack and defense phases of the two teams. 

The attacking team will field one batsman at a time, from the eleven players available until the tenth is removed at-bat. 

The defense will have to use their eleven players to defend the field from opposing batters and to send one each to the pitch. After a total of innings (which vary depending on form), the teams’ roles are changed. 

The aim of the game is basically to score as many points as possible during the offensive innings and prevent the opposing team from scoring any when on defense. 

How do you score points? Very simple, the defense must prevent the ball from leaving the field; if the ball passes the defensive line and comes out rolling, then the attacking team scores 4 points. If the ball comes out of the air, the team scores 6 points.

 

Cricket has an 80% share of the sports betting market in the country

In recent years, cricket betting has skyrocketed in India as several international betting sites offer instant access to online betting on all cricket events.

So, if you want to bet on cricket matches in India, go ahead because no law prohibits online gambling.

Just remember that not all sites are safe, and it would be better to rely on platforms where the best betting sites in India are collected and constantly updated.

As mentioned earlier, in India, there is a strong passion for both sports and sports betting. In fact, Apparently, Indians bet to the tune of $200 million every time the national cricket team plays an ODI.

To be on the safe side, therefore, it’s best to rely on sites that help you with online sports betting by providing you with a list of the best online bookmakers so that you can bet on cricket or any sport you love without any problems.

In addition to betting on sports, on this type of website, you can also find the best online casinos which offer many bonuses and promotions and guides on the best strategies and tips on gambling.

 

Conclusion

With so many millions of Indians enjoying cricket regularly, ever since the English brought the sport to Indian lands in the 1700s, it’s no wonder that the betting market is also huge.

The Covid-19 pandemic has slowed things down for cricket leagues around the world, but once the markets reopen and the world returns to normal, we can expect a massive resurgence in sporting events and sports betting, cricket included.