The Indians played their first official Test match at the Mecca of Cricket, Lord’s in 1932 under the leadership of Col C.K Nayudu. The seeds were sown then and there as the Indians got to know more about the game under the British rule. Subsequently, slowly but surely the Indians started to learn the nitty gritties of the game from the English.
Players like Col C.K Nayudu gathered the headlines for his hard-hitting whereas in the 1940s Vijay Merchant and Vijay Hazare scored tons of runs. Players like Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi gave a shot in the arm to the team and made them believe that they can win in overseas conditions.
Subsequently, India went on to win in West Indies and England under the leadership of Ajit Wadekar and it was a big boost for the Indian team. However, the big impact was made when the Indian team won the 1983 Prudential World Cup under the captaincy of Kapil Dev.
India had achieved such a big accomplishment and the triumph in the World Cup led to a turnaround as the aficionados started following the game with great zest.
In fact, India was considered an underdog as they had won a solitary match in the first two World Cups and when Kapil Dev’s side had to face West Indies in the final, nobody had put their money on the minnows. Furthermore, when India were dismissed for a paltry 183, everybody had written them off. However, the team pulled off a miraculous win and it led to the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket.
The game started reaching to the Indian houses through Television and the love affair with the fans started. Players also started getting the recognition they deserved and the young generation started dreaming to be the next Sunil Gavaskar or the next Kapil Dev. India also hosted the 1987 World Cup and it also added to the popularity of the game.
Moreover, in the 1990s a young boy named Sachin Tendulkar announced himself at the International level and the sport grew more popular in India as Tendulkar will leave everyone awestruck by his abilities and skills. Tendulkar carried the millions of hope on his shoulders and his success was directly proportional to the success of the team.
The popularity of the game took giant strides when Sachin Tendulkar consistently scored runs in almost every conditions and against every opposition. The young boys now wanted to be the next Sachin and cricket started becoming the most important thing for Indian fans. The Indian stadiums would be jam packed when Sachin was playing during his heydays.
Sachin grew in stature and as he gained experience, he also helped his teammates with the cricket tips. The legendary batsman never looked in his career.
Ergo, it would be prudent to say that the 1983 World Cup and Sachin Tendulkar were the two main reasons why cricket is so popular in India.
Meanwhile, with cricket action slowly returning now after a long hiatus, fans can place Cricket Betting odds for the upcoming matches.