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Cricket is the unofficial national sport of India, and its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as caste, religion and nationality. Though cricket is indubitably the most popular sport in India, it is not the nation's national sport (a distinction held by field hockey).
Introduction to cricket by the British: Cricket, like field hockey, was first introduced to India by the British. The earliest recorded match was played in 1721 by British sailors on shore leave. With the expansion of British rule throughout the subcontinent, the British took the game with them wherever they went. However, the early history of the game was focused largely on the large cities, particularly Bombay (now Mumbai).
Emergence of native players: Anil Kumble is the highest wicket-taker for India in both One Day International and Test matches. He is also the current Test team captainThe first Indians to play the game at a high level were the Parsi minority in Bombay. Beginning in 1892, an annual match was played between the Parsis and the Europeans. In 1907, this became 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—the Bombay Quadrangular.
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 noteworthy as the Palwankars were from one of the untouchable castes. Treated as equals on the cricket field, off-field they often faced discrimination. This changed slowly; however, Palwankar Vithal did eventually captain the Hindu team in the quadrangular.
The formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1929 led to a first Test match with England three years later. In 1935, the Ranji Trophy began; it continues to the present as the leading regional tournament in India, with each state fielding a team. The trophy was a deliberate attempt to avoid the communalism of the quadrangular tournament.
Post-Freedom Developments: The Indian cricket team has won one Cricket World Cup, in 1983. India also reached the final in 2003, but lost to Australia. Team India bagged the 2007 Twenty-20 Cricket World Cup under the captainship of M.S.Dhoni. In recent years, Indian cricket has been marked by the intense rivalry with Pakistan. Furthermore, there were several scandals related to match fixing and gambling, not restricted to just India, but plaguing several different teams.
International Cricket: 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, there has recently been a tendency to play more one-day matches than Test matches. The Indian cricket side has recently played a test series in Australia.
Domestic Competitions:
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 season. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament. 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. In the main, the Ranji Trophy is composed of teams representing the states that make up 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. 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. The top two (until 1991-92) and then top three teams (subsequent years) from each zone then played in a national knock-out competition. Starting with the 2002-03 season, the zonal 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 the first-innings lead.
Irani Trophy - The Irani Trophy tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970 and a keen patron of the game. The first match, played between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India was played in 1959-60. For the first few years, it was played at the fag end of the season. Realising the importance of the fixture, the BCCI moved it to the beginning of the season. Since 1965-66, it has traditionally heralded 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 take part in the game which has often been a sort of selection trial to pick the Indian team for foreign tours.
Duleep Trophy - The Duleep Trophy competition was started by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1961-62 with the aim of providing a greater competitive edge in domestic cricket - because, apart from the knock-out stages of the Ranji Trophy, that competition proved predictable, with Bombay winning for fifteen consecutive years. The Duleep was also meant to help the selectors in assessing form. The original format was that five teams, drawn from the five zones, play each other on a knock-out basis. From the 1993-94 season, the competition has been converted to a league format.
Deodhar Trophy- Started in 1973-74 by Board of Control for Cricket in India, it is the current one-day cricket competition in Indian domestic cricket. 5 zonal teams - North zone, South zone, East zone, West zone and Central zone feature in the competition. North zone have won this competition 11th time.
Challenger series- Started as the Challenger series by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1994-95 and later named as NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in 1998-99, the tournament features 3 teams: India senior, India A and India B playing each other. The tournament features the top 36 players from India
Indian Cricket League- Appalled by the state of domestic Indian cricket, Zee TV decided to launch this league as its own Twenty20 domestic series. The first matches were held in October 2007. The ICL sprung into the spotlight due to its head on battle with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Brian Lara was the first international star to be officially drafted to play in the league.
Indian Premier League In response to the rival ICL, the BCCI started the Indian Premier League. This League being launched by BCCI have received support from all the other Cricket Boards, and International Players could be drafted into City-based Franchises.
As I was doing the previous post about cricketing sex scandals I found this video on Youtube about a group doing a song about Shane Warne in a very lighthearted sort of way, its a must see as it captures the essence of Warney in my personal opinion (I know others may differ and thats ok as everyone is entitled to an opinion), and with the bongo drums and that thing the lady is playing (is it a clarinet? comment if it is) it gives a really good atmosphere to the Master of Spin.
Over the years there have been many sex scandals in the beloved game of cricket. When most people combine the words "sex scandal" and "cricket" its most likely that Shane Warne will immediately come to mind. As a brilliant player as he is he has been involved in so many of them that everytime I have typed in "cricketing sex scandals" in Google almost every one of them brings up some reference to Warney. I respect him as a player (with his magical bowling skills etc) but I think that in some way his career may have been tarnished and will be remembered for not only his superiour skills on the field, but most likely also his "superior" skills in the sack and by texts to various women that were involved in many of his romps.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not slating him completely, for most of my life that I have been interested in cricket I have always looked up to Warney for his master legspinners and how lethal and magical his deliveries were (eg bowling Mike Gatting out, Bowling Andrew Strauss for his 700th wicket and so much more) and I would pick him in a select World XII anyday, but maybe he (and like other cricketers involved in sex scandals as well) needs to sort out his personal life, as by not doing so he has lost only one of the few things more precious than the brilliant game of cricket- His gorgous ex-wife Simone, regular access to his children, and breaking up that precious bond between family.
In the meantime here is a handful of links that go to articles that talk about cricketing scandals. I know I have ranted on mostly about Warney but like everyone else on this planet nobody is perfect, as there are many sex scandals out there, not only with other cricketers, but in real life away from cricket as well.
James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson (born 30 July 1982 in Burnley, Lancashire) is an international English cricketer. A pace bowler, Anderson made his international debut at the age of just 20 before experiencing a career trough. He has since been recalled to play for England, however.
As a young player, Anderson's rise was incredibly quick; he represented the England national team before he was awarded his cap at county level, coming almost straight from club cricket and Burnley's 2nd XI. His ODI debut came on December 15, 2002 against Australia at Melbourne. He showed good promise in this series - a three-team tournament also including Sri Lanka - which earned him a place in the 2003 World Cup squad. It was here that he really broke into international cricket with a match-winning spell against Pakistan, where he took four wickets in day/night game to collect the Man of the Match award. But where there are highs, there are also lows. In what proved to be England’s last match of the tournament he conceded 12 runs off the penultimate over against eventual world champions Australia and England lost a closely fought contest.
In the summer of 2003, he made his first Test cricket appearance against Zimbabwe at Lord's, and become the 17th Englishman to collect five wickets in an innings on debut. His success continued in the subsequent one day tournaments against Pakistan, (against whom he took a hat trick at the Oval), South Africa and Zimbabwe. In a matter of few months, he had become one of the biggest stars in English cricket. Continued alteration of hair styles, attractive looks, and up-to-the-minute outfits earned him comparisons with some of the most recognizable sport personalities around, including David Beckham. The frenzy was however not to last forever.
Another young man, South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith, put Anderson and England to the sword as he made back-to-back double hundreds in the first two Tests of a series where he eventually ended up making more than 600 runs. Even though Anderson managed to pick up another five-wicket-haul at Trent Bridge, and the series was eventually drawn with England winning the final Test at The Oval by nine wickets, the damage had already been done from Anderson's point of view. His place in the England team was now far from certain. He was selected in both the one-day and Test squads for the winter tours to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but injuries left him able to play in only 1 of the 5 Tests on that tour. He bowled well below his potential to collect figures of 0-85 in his sole appearance. The Sri Lankan conditions - typically unhelpful for fast swing bowling - didn't help.
More info for James Anderson can be found by right clicking on these links:
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (Marathi: सचिन रमेश तेंडुलकर) (born April 24, 1973 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India) is an Indian cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. In 2002, Wisden rated him as the second greatest Test batsman after Sir Donald Bradman, and the greatest One-day international batsman.[citation needed]
He holds several highly regarded batting records and is the leading scorer of centuries in both Test cricket and one-day internationals. He is one of the three batsmen to surpass 11,000 runs in Test cricket, and the first Indian to do so. He is the most prolific run scorer in ODIs by a margin of over 4000 runs and has scored the most runs in international cricket as a whole. He crossed 16,000 runs in ODIs on February 5, 2008 while playing against Sri Lanka in Brisbane, Australia. Affectionately called 'The Little Master' or 'The Master Blaster', Tendulkar made his first-class debut for the Mumbai cricket team aged 14 and scored a century on debut. He made his international test debut in 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi at age 16.
He is the only cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour and the only cricketer and one of the first sportsmen (along with Vishwanathan Anand) to receive the Padma Vibhushan (2008), the second highest civilian honour of India. He is the most sponsored player in world cricket and has a huge fan following even amongst foreign audiences. Tendulkar has made numerous commercial ventures including opening a chain of restaurants in India.
HIS PLAYING STYLE:
Tendulkar's batting style has been compared to that of Sir Donald Bradman.
Tendulkar is ambidextrous: He bats, bowls, and throws with his right hand, but writes with his left hand. He also practices left-handed throws at the nets on a regular basis. Cricinfo columnist Sambit Bal has described him as the "most wholesome batsman of his time". His batting is based on complete balance and poise while limiting unnecessary movements and flourishes. He is strong in hitting the ball to all parts of the field with a large variety of shots. He appears to show little preference for the slow and low wickets which are typical in India, and has scored many centuries on the hard, bouncy pitches in the Caribbean Islands and Australia. He is known for his unique punch style of hitting the ball over square.
Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman of all time, considered Tendulkar to have a batting style similar to his. In his biography, it is stated that "Bradman was most taken by Tendulkar's technique, compactness and shot production, and had asked his wife to have a look at Tendulkar, having felt that Tendulkar played like him. Bradman's wife, Jessie, agreed that they did appear similar. "
Former Australian cricket team coach John Buchanan voiced his opinion that Tendulkar had become susceptible to the short ball early in his innings because of a lack of footwork. Buchanan also believes Tendulkar has a weakness while playing left-arm pace. He was affected by a series of injuries since 2004. Since then Tendulkar's batting has tended to be less attacking. Explaining this change in his batting style, he has acknowledged that he is batting differently due to that fact that (1) No batsman can bat the same way for the entire length of a long career and (2) He is a senior member of the team now and thus has more responsibility. However, it cannot be denied that his batting became less attractive since 2004 and while a string of his highest scores have come within this time period, the consistency has been lacking.[citation needed] During the early part of his career he was a more attacking batsman and frequently scored centuries at over a run a ball. Ian Chappell, former Australian player, believes "Tendulkar now, is nothing like the player he was when he was a young bloke". However, during the latest tour of Australia in 2008, Tendulkar displayed glimpses of his attacking style with several masterful innings.
While Tendulkar is not a regular bowler, he is adept at bowling medium pace, leg spin, and off spin with equal ease. He often bowls when two batsmen of the opposite team have been batting together for a long period, and he can often be a useful partnership breaker. With his bowling, he has helped secure an Indian victory on more than one occasion.
EARLY YEARS AND PERSONAL LIFE:
Tendulkar was born in in Mumbai . His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, who was a Marathi novelist, named him after his favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar's elder brother, Ajit, encouraged him to play cricket. Tendulkar has two other siblings: brother, Nitin, and sister, Savitai.
Tendulkar attended Sharadashram Vidyamandir (High School), where he began his cricketing career under the guidance of his coach and mentor, Ramakant Achrekar. During his school days, he attended the MRF Pace Foundation to train as a fast bowler, but the fast bowling trainer there, Dennis Lillee, suggested to him to "just focus" on his batting.
When Tendulkar was young, he would practice for hours with his coach. He would often get bored of practicing. So his coach would put a one-Rupee-coin on the top of the stumps. The bowler who dismissed Sachin would get the coin. If Sachin passed the whole session without getting dismissed, the coach would give him the coin. Sachin says today that the 13 coins he won then are his most prized possessions.
While at school, he was involved in unbroken 664-run partnership in a Harris Shield game in 1988 with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli, who also went on to represent India. The destructive pair reduced one bowler to tears and made the rest of the opposition unwilling to continue the game. Sachin scored over 320 in this innings and scored over a thousand runs in the tournament. This was the record partnership in any form of cricket, until 2006 when it was broken by two under-13 batsmen in a match held at Hyderabad in India. When he was 14 Indian batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar gave him a pair of his used ultra light pads. "It was the greatest source of encouragement for me," he said nearly 20 years later after passing Gavaskar's top world record of 34 Test centuries.
In 1995, Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali (born 10 November 1967), the paediatrician daughter of Gujarati industrialist, Anand Mehta. They have two children, Sara (born 12 October 1997), and Arjun (born 24 September 1999).
Tendulkar sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annaben Mehta. He is reluctant to speak about his charitable activities[citation needed], choosing to preserve the sanctity of his personal life despite media interest in him.[citation needed]
In commemorating Sachin Tendulkar's feat of equalling Don Bradman's 29 centuries in Test Cricket, automotive giant Ferrari invited Sachin Tendulkar to its paddock in Silverstone on the eve of the British Grand Prix (23 July 2002) to receive a Ferrari 360 Modena from the legendary F1 racer Michael Schumacher. On September 4, 2002 India's then finance minister Jaswant Singh wrote to Sachin telling him that the government will waive custom's duty imposed on the car as a measure to applaud his feat. However the rules at the time stated that the customs duty can be waived only when receiving an automobile as a prize and not as a gift. It is claimed that the proposals to change the law (Customs Act) was put forth in Financial Bill in February 2003 and amended was passed as a law in May 2003. Subsequently the Ferrari was allowed to be brought to India without payment of the customs duty (Rs 1.13 Crores or 120% on the car value of Rs 75 Lakhs). When the move to waive customs duty became public in July 2003, political and social activists protested the waiver and filed PIL in the Delhi High Court. With the controversy snowballing, Sachin offered to pay the customs duty and the tab was finally picked up by Ferrari. Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai.
More information about Sachin can be found here --->>
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Make sure you scroll all the way down as there is a big variety of content, such as cricket videos/pictures, links to cricket related sites/shops etc, a visitors map and special translation buttons so you can view this whole entire blog in your specific language :)
Its obvious that from this site that cricket is right up there for one of the passions in my life :) I got hooked it on it when I was knee-high to a grasshopper when in the early 1990's I watched my first test with my dad (New Zealand vs Pakistan), and I can remember at the time I was paying attention that Salim Malik was batting, and since that match I was instantly hooked :) The thrill of getting boundaries or getting wickets sends a huge sense of delight through me and the odd backyard game of cricket with some beers and something to eat on a brilliant summers day is really the life:) Not to mention the gorgous girls watching us play! Have broken many a window and lost many tennis balls and cricket balls and when we couldn't find them we stole spuds out of the vege garden and use them instead! They are brilliant for seaming and very unpredictable hahaha!
Hope you all enjoy browsing through this site and if you want to do a link exchange and be in my blogroll feel free to let me know by leaving a comment or mailing me:)
Cheers, and long live Cricket, the brilliant game!
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