TEAM INDIA EVOLUTION

Cricket was first played in India by European merchants in 18th Century, a game played mainly by british who used to play the game as a leisure outdoor activity. Cricket got serious with the establishment of the a first-class cricket club in 1792, India's national cricket team did not play its first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's.

 The test series with the dominant Australia and England Teams didn't go well and it took many-a-years for the test side to register its first Test victory in 1954 against England in Chennai. Then came the captainship of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi who lead the squad for about 14 years and provided India its first-ever victory on the foreign soil and Test series win.

The Indian Test side played well at home, using lots of defense players like Sunil Gavaskar and G. Vishwanath and good spinners. This strategy worked for India and it produced back-to-back series wins against England and West India. But with the advent of ODI cricket in 1971, India couldn't perform well in it with their defensive approach towards the game. It was duringthe 1980's, India developed a more attack-minded battng line-up with strokemakers such as the wristy Mohammed Azharuddin, Dilip Vengsarkar and all-rounder Ravi Shastri. India started as an under-dog, eventually won  Cricket World Cup in 1983, defeating the favorites and two-time defending Champions West Indies. It was in this period that the best batsman ever Sunil Gavaskar and all-rounder Kapil Dev were at the pinnacle of their careers.

 

Cometh 1989 and 1990, team became even better with inclusion of future legend, Sachin Tendulkar and best spinner Anil Kumble. Through 1990s, team was dominant in domestic games but failed miserably overseas. The Lord’s Test in 1996 saw the debut of two star batsmen and future captains, SouravGanguly and Rahul Dravid. All these years, Mohammed Azheruddin won record 14 Test matches and 103 ODIs under his command. Thus, making him the best captain ever. Post Azher’s dismissal, Sachin lead the side but his poor slump in form resulted in his ouster as captain and thus, captainship was awarded to Ganguly.

      Do you have any special moments from these years?
      Why not confess by commenting below?!

Sachin Tendulkar: The GOD of Cricket!!

Cricket is highly popular in the Indian Subcontinent especially India, it is followed more like a religion. We have people abandoning their work and going to the stadiums, to watch their heroes play like Champs, every now and then. India has so much passion towards the game and its national players that they worship few of the iconic Indian Cricket Players. One among them is Sachin Tendulkar, a Mumbaikar at age of 15, formed a gem of a partnership of about 664 runs with his school buddy Vinod Kambli which was a record for 18 years, reduced bowler to tears and made the rest of the opposition unwilling to continue the game. That season he scored a ton in every innings, a performance which rocketed him into the International arena.
              Debuting at the age of 16 against Pakistan in Pakistan, he was pitched against best bowling attack at that time. He was bruised throughout the tour, with not much of a notable performance. On his next tour, to England in July–August 1990, he became the second youngest cricketer to score a Test century as he made 119 not out in the second Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. Tendulkar further enhanced his reputation as a future great during the 1991–1992 tour of Australia held before the 1992 Cricket World Cup, that included an unbeaten 148 in the third Test Sydney and 114 on a fast, bouncing pitch in the final Test at Perth against a world-class pace attack.
             After feeble performances through 1992-1996, he came up with amazing tons against Australia, firstly, scored 3 test tons and then, followed by two scintillating knocks in a tournament in Sharjah where he scored two consecutive centuries in a must-win game and then in finals against Australia tormenting Shane Warne once again. These performances earned him Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997. After random performances, he had an excellent tournament in South Africa which was hosting  2003 Cricket World Cup, in which he made 673 runs in 11 matches in the, helping India reach the final. While Australia retained the trophy that they had won in 1999, Tendulkar was given the Man of the Tournament award.

 

          After this performance, he had all the ups and downs with his form, he has scored along so many Centuries and made many records. The most notable one was 100th ton in 2012,  first ever and this record is so invincible for any other peers, most already retired to surpass. His every run used to be an entry into the record books in one form or the other. His legacy is so mightiest that he's the greatest cricketer of his time, Second greatest player to play Test and ODI format. A magnum opus of cricketing career, of about 24 years studded with innumerable records, is dusking this monday. He's playing his final test, 200th which is another record, against West Indies. We all have grown-up watching him go through all the phases and bringing many scintillating performances which has brought pride to India and Cricket as a cricketer and a humblest being.  
   
  Unarguably, a dream of billion hopes, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar - The GOD of Cricket!!
 
           A blog post is not enough  to cover all his achievements, I've tried to through some light on few of his major accomplishments. Please do leave your comments and if possible, answer the poll in the right section.

 

More than Just a GAME!!

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on a field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. Each team takes it in turn to bat, attempting to score runs, while the other team fields. Each turn is known as an innings.

             The bowler delivers the ball to the batsman who attempts to hit the ball with his bat far enough for him to run to the other end of the pitch and score a run. Each batsman continues batting until he is out. The batting team continues batting until ten batsmen are out, at which point the teams switch roles and the fielding team comes in to bat.

 

             Cricket is so very similar to that of baseball, both evolved from England and spread to the other regions, game enthusiasts changed the game all these years to present day sports. There are various forms of Cricket such as Indoor Cricket, Backyard Cricket or a Gully cricket are an informal ad hoc variants of the game of cricket, played by people of both genders and all ages in gardens, back yards, on the street, in parks, car parks, beaches and any area not specifically intended for the purpose.

             It was first played in 16th Century and then became national sport of England in 18th Century. Today mainly, a 5-day match is called a Test Cricket, an international fixture mainly played by the Full Time members and a 3-5 day game is called First-Class Cricket, an domestic fixture mainly played by regional teams, a one-day game called ODI cricket and a 3-hour game is called a Twenty20. The game is most popular in the Indian subcontinent, England, Australasia, the West Indies and Southern Africa. Its more than just a game!