CRICKET IN INDIA

Cricket is the unofficial national sport in India, its evolution has been closely linked with its history, reflecting many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as race, caste, religion and nationality. Although cricket is undoubtedly the most popular sport in India is the country's national sport is not (a distinction that hockey).

Cricket by hockey, was first introduced to India by the British. The earliest recorded match was played in 17211 by British sailors on shore leave. With the extension of British rule throughout the subcontinent, the British took the game with them wherever they went. But the early history of the game was focused largely on the large cities, particularly Bombay (now Mumbai).

The first Indians to play the game at a high level was the Parsi minority in Bombay. Beginning in 1892, an annual match was played between Parsis and Europeans. In 1907, it was a triangular tournament with the Hindus Fielding a team, and in 1912 a Muslim team entered what was for twenty years the biggest tournament in India to Bombay square.

Among the biggest stars in the early years of Indian cricket were the four Palwankar brothers, Shivram, Ganpat and Vithal but particularly the slow left arm bowler, Palwankar Baloo. This was particularly notable because it Palwankars was from one of the untouchables cast. Treated as equals on the cricket field, off field, they are often discriminated against. This changed slowly, but did Palwankar Vithal last captain the Hindu team in the square.

The formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1929 led to a first test match against England three years later. In 1935 began Ranji Trophy, it continues to the present as the leading regional tournament in India, with each country fielding a team. The trophy was a deliberate attempt to avoid the communalism of the quadrangular tournament.

The Indian cricket team has won one Cricket World Cup in 1983. India also reached the finals in 2003 but lost to Australia. In recent years, Indian cricket has been marked by intense and occasionally violent rivalry with Pakistan. Moreover, there were several scandals related to match fixing and betting, but these were not confined to India, and they plagued several different teams.

International cricket in India generally do not follow a fixed pattern such as the English schedule under which the nation tours other countries during winter and plays at home during the summer. Overall, there has recently been a tendency to play more one-day matches than Test matches.

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 first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in the 1934-35 seasons. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament. Trophy was donated by HH Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Baha-dur, Maharajah of Patiala in memory of his late Highness Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji of Nawanagar. In the case before the Ranji Trophy, composed of teams representing the states which represent India. As the political states have multiplied, so have cricket teams, but not every state has a team. Some states have more than one cricket team, e.g. Maharashtra and Gujarat. There are also 'odd' teams like Railways, and Services representing the armed forces. They used different teams divided into zones - Northern, Western, Eastern, Central and South - and the initial matches are played on a league basis within the zones. The top two (until 1991-92), three best teams from each zone then play in a national knockout competition. Beginning with the 2002-03 seasons, the zone system has been abandoned and a two-division structure has been adopted with two teams being promoted from the plate league and two relegated from the Elite League. If the knockout matches are not finished they are decided on first innings lead.

Irani Trophy:

The Irani Trophy tournament was conceived in the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late ZR Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from its inception in 1928, until his death in 1970. The first match played between the Ranji Trophy champions and the rest of India was played in 1959-60 with the trophy, created in the name of zal Irani, long time treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and an avid patron of the game. For the first few years, it was played at FAG end of the season. Realize the importance of furniture; BCCI moved it to the beginning of the season. Since 1965-66, it has traditionally marks the start of the new domestic season. The Irani Trophy game ranks very high in popularity and importance. It is one of the few domestic matches that is followed with keen interest by cricket lovers in the country. Leading players in the game which has often been a sort of selection trial to pick up the Indian team on foreign tours.