What is Cricket?
Cricket is a sport that is played between two teams. Each team has 11 players, and is usually comprised of 6 batsman and 5 bowlers. Although it is classified as being a team sport, it is essentially every man for himself. As an individual, a batsman has to go against an individual bowler, who has fielders across the ground to help him. The bowler has to release the ball with a straight arm from one end of the pitch to another, and their objective is to dismiss the batsmen through several methods. These methods include hitting their wickets, forcing the batsman to hit up in the air so the ball can be caught, and many other ways. The objective of the batsman is to protect himself and not be dismissed, as well as trying to score as many runs as possible (the point system of the game). Runs can be earned by hitting the outfield boundary, or hitting the ball far enough so that the two batsman have enough time to run between the wickets. In a regular game, there are 2 innings where both teams get the chance to bat and bowl. Eventually, the team that ends up with the higher number of runs is deemed the winner (“An Explanation of Cricket”).
Significance of Cricket in India
Cricket is an inherent part of Indian culture, and has been for decades. During the 19th century, India was under the British, the birthplace of cricket. Since the British originally invented cricket, they managed to proselytise their favorite game when they ruled India. According to the Economist, cricket was formerly played by the British rulers or the ultra-rich indians, which gave cricket it’s political significance. Although cricket was usually only played by the elites at that time, the vast majority of the population would watch the elite Indians take on their colonial rulers. Today, cricket’s popularity continues to exponentially increase in India due to the growth in mass media. In 1989, there were approximately 30 million households with televisions, in contrast to the 160 million today. This large spike is partly due to the increasing popularity and significance of cricket in India. (Hot)