History Of Indian Cricket

Indian cricket history commenced since the 18th century with British colonization of India. In 1721, some English sailors initiated the game of cricket in Kutch. Over 65 years later in 1792, and again in 1799, two Cricket and Football Clubs were established in India. The first major cricket match took place in 1864 in a confrontation between Madras and Calcutta. This event led to a series of games: the Bombay Presidency Match, the Bombay Triangular and the Bombay Quadrangular, which marked the launch of professional, first class cricket in India. 

In 1889, the first British cricket team traveled to India to play competitively, although not professionally. Cricket reached another level in 1893 where cricket became more advanced in India. As the love of cricket expanded in India, the Calcutta Cricket Club traveled to India in 1926 where the Imperial Cricket Conference, now named the International Cricket Council, was being held. From this point, India became accepted in international cricket circles.   

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) emerged in 1929, whose policies standardized cricket matches and regulated Indian cricket. The BCCI is the body with local and international power such that no match involving Indian cricketers can be played either on Indian pitch or foreign soil. The BCCI has grown to be one of the richest cricket bodies in the world. In 1932, India was granted membership among the test cricket countries belonging to the British commonwealth. It did not take long for India to celebrate its first test cricket victory in 1952 over England.   

In the 1960's India suspended playing cricket as a result of its involvement in war against archenemy, Pakistan. The radical 1970s served as the era which integrated women in the previously male-dominated sport. The Women's Cricket Association of India (WCAI) was raised in 1973 in Pune, India. After the installation of this association, India's female cricket team went on to win its first cricket test match in 1976 and tied with the West Indies' female cricketers. India achieved the highest honor of any country officially participating in cricket, the World Cup Cricket Champions in 1983.    

Cricket grew to the status of national sport of India, albeit unofficially. Many Indians pack gigantic stadiums cheering for the Indian cricket team while India continues to invest resources in promoting the sport among the youth. Sachin Tendulkar is India's stellar cricketer who outperformed most batsmen in the world holding several titles. Other noteworthy athletes in Indian cricket are Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Javagal Srinath and Irfan Pathan. In 2005, the Indian Women's Cricket team won the Asia Cricket Cup against Pakistan.

Sources:

BBC News