Imagine a group of children in the countryside, bored; wondering what they should do to entertain themselves, they are probably jaded with last week’s hide and seek and cops and robbers and sticks and stones...so one of them – a bright one picks a plank of wood from his community metal works and swings it around imagining he is hitting some object far into the sky, his creative thought is picked by an astute blond lad who throws a round object he found nearby; the plank makes a good sound and the object flies into the air to everyone’s excitement...for the next few hours they take turns in hitting and missing the object, at times the rest of the field scampers to retrieve the object; the excitement overtakes their tired bodies and they go on passionately...a sport is born. Played with a ball; a roll of wool or stone, the wicket; a picket fence or broken gate, the bat; a plank of wood. A bored clan had given birth to one of the most popular games of recent times...necessity truly is the mother of all inventions.

No one knows when or where cricket originated but there is strong circumstantial evidence that suggests that the game goes back to Saxon or Norman times. The story credits children living in woodlands in metal works communities. It had been a children’s game till adults tried their hands at it in the 17th century. The British then sailed with it to their colonies; it came to India through a group of mariners from the East India Company. Today, Cricket is not just a game in India, it is second nature to millions of teens, it means pages of newspaper space, the livelihood of sports journalists, it consumes 8 hours of television time during season and in some cases even a half day off work – in short , it is a religion.

So why does cricket enjoy this elevated status? Why is it a passion in India?

The development of cricket has been closely tied up with the rich history of the country, reflecting many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as caste, religion and nationality. Though cricket is unquestionably the most popular sport in India, it is not the country’s nation's national sport (a distinction held by field hockey).

Talk about an obsession; everybody in India likes films and cricket; Indian culture endorses the legend, the fable, the dream; one that is driven by a hero; the idea of this hero is embedded in Indian life. A Sachin Tendulkar is one such hero who lives in the hearts and tongues of India at large. Every batsman tries to emulate him. So it is about heroes. And heroes they were who won the Prudential cup and were at the top of world cricket after beating the mighty West Indies in the 1983 World cup. Indians still look back at that glorious miraculous day when we snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. This is what cricket is about.

Indian cricket has evolved with time. From 60 over matches and 8 balls an over, to shorter versions of the game. It is all about keeping the customer satisfied. There is a pressure to entertain. A huge factor driven by the masses. Tickets need to be sold. Demand needs to be created. The money attracts many a bee to the comb; making fast money together with the need for instant gratification has seen the gradual decline of test cricket and a trend to play more one-day matches. Everybody is happy with this. Unfortunately for cricket rationalists the essence of test cricket is getting lost in this melee to keep audience interests alive. Indian Cricket has evolved with the times.

International cricket in India generally does not follow a fixed pattern like, for example, the English schedule under which the nation tours other countries during winter and plays at home during the summer. 

Generally, the Indian Cricket calendar is packed with action and the players get less of a breather than most players from other countries. Due to this cricketers are at risk of injury or burn out. But of course as mentioned, we need more entertainment and more money even at the cost of sacrificing the golden goose. Sadly, in the course of events the players also get distracted with advertising contracts and other media gimmicks. The tendency to play for oneself has long since been speculated. This has lead to inconsistency in player performance and displaced India in world rankings. And this brings us to the very important factor that makes cricket a super power game in India; Money. Budding cricketers see opportunity for fame and glory through this passion. Of course, there is a lot more of the cake for other stakeholders too besides just players, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is one of the richest boards of cricket in the whole world. Politicians and business men are also involved with the game. 

Indians are so involved with their individual heroes that the betting on even finer points like how many wickets a spinner, runs into millions. Also, India is a cradle of match fixing with international ramifications that ruined the careers of cricketers like Hansie Cronje and led to the murder of the famous South African coach, Bob Woolmer, who wanted to expose the racket. Inspite of this Indians still watch cricket and always will. Resolute and steadfast in their passion.

The game is well backed in the country. Keeping with the times the latest sports psychology and physical fitness is provided to the players. We have taken pains to provide the best coaching, sometimes different coaches for bowlers and batsmen. Most importantly the game also has improved its structure in domestic cricket which is where budding talent is recognised. This is where the roots are. This is where the future of Indian cricket lies. And this passionate nation is nurturing her roots. 

The Ranji Trophy - Founded as 'The Cricket Championship of India' at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The Trophy was donated by H.H. Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Baha-dur, Maharajah of Patiala in memory of His late Highness Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji of Nawanagar. The Ranji Trophy is composed of teams representing the states that make up India. As the political states have multiplied, so have cricket teams. There are also 'odd' teams like Railways, and Services representing the armed forces. The various teams used to be grouped into zones - North, West, East, Central and South - and the initial matches were played on a league basis within the zones. Starting with the 2002-03 season, the zonal system has been abandoned and a two-division structure has been adopted to ensure just selection and nurturing of talent. Besides this we also have a boost to cricket through the Irani Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy and many more…all focusing upon spotting, nurturing and developing the best talent. "The cricket talent in India is still very much untapped," says Rahul Dravid, former captain of the country's team. "The hope is that the new money can help find our future stars." 

However, no matter what; talent or no talent, the Indian crowds are very difficult to please. We must win each time. The packed to capacity stadiums are a sight to behold; Eden gardens in Kolkata is like the Lords stadium in England; the Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, the Chinnaswami stadium in Bangalore also the Mohali cricket stadium in Punjab are all of international standards and the crowds have many fond memories that have lingered on from the sweet taste of victory at these venues.  

The passion has further been fuelled with exciting tournaments and the last 2 years brought even more exciting news to cricket loving fans in India. 

The Challenger series - Started as the Challenger series by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1994-95 

Indian Cricket League – was born after seeing the state of domestic Indian cricket, Zee TV decided to launch this league as its own Twenty20 domestic series. 

Indian Premier League - In response to the rival ICL, the BCCI started the Indian Premier League. This League launched by BCCI has received support from all the other Cricket Boards, and International Players could be drafted into City-based Franchises. 

The first season flew by successfully; the crowds flocked by the thousands and everyone was happy. If India happens to be in the final; which they should be in specially if the match is in India; then the crowds respond with as much enthusiasm as possible; if the battle is between arch rivals Pakistan or now Australia then all the better. The Indian crowds leave work early, line up outside the stadiums hours before the match starts, those watching the match at home would arrange a small get together pre empting victory; others might watch the match in a sports bar on a large screen, with revelry. Fire crackers are common after a victory; teens speeding on motorbikes on the road and everybody forgets their cares and worries at least for a day. I remember India winning the twenty 20 series final against Pakistan; I prayed; I bargained with the Almighty; and when we won, I partied well into the night. 

This drama we would refer to as cricket tamasha. And business men have cashed in as lead actors; A few days before, Nimbus Communications, stunned the sports world by paying $ 612 million, (11 times the previous price and the biggest deal in cricket history for the TV rights to Indian cricket for four years.) The chairman, Mr. Thawani, said "India is the new cricket superpower".

Millions of fans in Australia and England would presumably beg to differ. Last summer those two traditional rivals played each other in a terrific series that captured the attention of cricket lovers around the world. But off the field, there is little doubt that the two cradles of the game are increasingly overshadowed by India. 

Nimbus' record-breaking offer indicates the unimaginable sums of money that Indian cricket, with its vast and ever more affluent fan base, is able to attract. "The passion that India has for the game is greater than any other country has for any sport" says International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed. "Factor in, the billion-plus population and an economy growing by 7 to 8% and what that means for the value of TV rights, advertising and sponsorship and you understand the commercial power of India".

This statement sums it all. "India now provides between 60% and 80% of world cricket revenues. The old horses and powers of International cricket like England or Australia don't like it, and maybe that's natural, but that doesn't change what's happening. This is our game now".  A religion, a passion.