Cricket, India's Passion.

As Indians from around the world prepare for the upcoming World Cup Semi-Finals and get ready to watch their team play against Australia, one question comes to mind.  Why do Indians love Cricket so much?

The British brought many things to India during their rule but one thing has stuck around since India gained its independence, Cricket.  

The sport is followed by the masses and spans across all demographics bringing people from all religions, castes and lifestyles together. 

Cricket became accessible to the masses due to evolution of gully or “box” cricket. Working class kids would modify & simplify the rules to fit into small lanes and open spaces of crowded industrial & residential complexes. Any flat stick would do for for a bat, stones or bricks serve as wickets and a cheap rubber or tennis ball to play with. 

The Indian team used to be the underdogs of cricket for a long time and ranked poorly in international matches but that didn’t stop them from building a world class team.  India’s current success in cricket is due to the wide-spread passion for the game.  In more recent times the sport gained mass appeal and popularity in part due to media.  With the onset of technology from TV’s, Internet and even Social Media every household had access to follow its team with passion.  

What was once an English summer game has become in India a celebrity-infused, highly politicized, billion-dollar industry.

Cricket is not just a popular sport in India, it dominates organized sports in the country in a manner that few sports dominate any large country in the world.  

A national sport tends to become fixed in the minds of a people during a time of urbanization and rural breakdown. Having lost their original social connections, urban migrants and their look for new loyalties and sports teams have been part of that process.  

Most nations are exposed to a number of sports during their period of urbanization but Cricket has proven to be the instrument by which a highly mobile generation of Indians have reconnected to their roots, bringing the nation together. 

Even Bollywood took to a following with Aamir Khan’s film ‘Lagaan’ in 2001 which depicted how the passion brought a small rural village together in their fight for Independence.  Other films based on the sport include ‘Iqball’, ‘Awwal Number’ and ‘Patiala House’ to name a few. 

Now there may not be single most reason for Crickets popularity, its clear that Cricket has a major following of loyal fans supporting the team good or bad.