In the United Arab Emirates, the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup (a commercial format with fixed game times that makes it easier to broadcast matches on TV) is now in full swing.
Most Ukrainians are unlikely to have heard anything about these competitions, as, in fact, about the sport itself. However, this does not prevent it from being the second most popular in the world after soccer. For example, the 2019 Classic cricket cup was watched by 1.6 billion viewers, while the last T20 Championship in 2016 was watched by 820 million people in India alone. It is also fan-favorite by millions in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa and several dozen other countries that were once part of the British colonial empire.
However, in absolute numbers, it is India that has the most cricket lovers. Chas News explains how the game of the colonial invaders won the hearts of enslaved Indians and why it is still insanely popular.
Cricket’s Journey to India
Very briefly about cricket itself. It is played on an oval field by two teams of 11 players each. In the center are two pairs of goals – three sticks, on which lie two cylinders. One of the teams tries to knock them down by throwing the ball, and the second team tries to hit them with a bat. The goal of the team: to score more points, which are awarded for successful reflection of the ball, knocking down the goal, running across the field, etc. The game has a lot of nuances and tactics, so to an outsider viewer it can seem too complicated, confusing, and sometimes boring. For example, in “test matches” the confrontation between two teams can last for five days. The T20 format, which has emerged in the 21st century, provides for a shorter game – up to 3.5 hours, and therefore more dynamic.
Cricket in its more or less modern form originated in England in the 16th-17th centuries and quickly acquired the status of a national sport. And then the British spread the game throughout their colonies. 1721 British sailors first played cricket in India. In 1792 in Calcutta, the center of the British colony, formed the first cricket club, which still exists today. At first, though, only Europeans were accepted into its ranks.
Gradually, locals also became interested in the game. The pioneers in this field were Parsi – descendants of Iranian settlers, professing Zoroastrianism. With the arrival of the British, they were the first to cooperate with Europeans, acting as trade intermediaries and borrowing elements of the European way of life. In 1848 the Parsis opened the first cricket club in Bombay, and within the next 20 years the number of such clubs grew to 30. The young Parsi bourgeoisie saw the game of cricket as a means of establishing ties with the colonial administration.
Cricket and Politics
Cricket’s cultural expansion eventually produced the opposite result. The game was truly loved by millions of Indians. It was played on the streets of cities and in educational institutions. In particular, Mahatma Gandhi, the chief ideologue of India’s independence movement, played cricket during his school days.
However, this did not help to strengthen the colony’s ties with the metropolis. On the contrary, the Bombay quadrangular tournament gave the local population an opportunity to compete with the colonizers on an equal footing. While local clubs predominantly lost when they met professional teams from England, in Bombay they beat the Europeans more and more often every year. It is not surprising, therefore, that the leaders of the independence movement had nothing against the game itself. However, politics still did not bypass cricket.
Thus, in 1921, during a visit to the Bombay tournament of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII), three days of riots broke out in the city. In 1930-1934, the tournament was not held at all because of Gandhi’s initiated acts of civil disobedience on a national scale.
Conclusion
The journey of cricket from being a game introduced by colonial invaders to becoming a national sport in India reflects a complex interplay of cultural exchange, resistance, and political significance. The sport, originating in England, found its way to India in the 18th century, initially attracting Europeans before capturing the hearts of the local population. The Parsi community played a pivotal role in popularizing cricket, viewing it as a means of forging connections with the colonial administration. However, as cricket’s cultural expansion grew, it inadvertently fueled a sense of equality and competition among Indians, contributing to the sport’s significance in the struggle for independence. The Bombay quadrangular tournament, marked by local victories over professional English teams, exemplifies how cricket became intertwined with the political landscape of colonial India.