Besides being popular in India, cricket is the second most-watched sport in the world, with over 2.5 billion followers. This may sound odd for people from Europe or America because, in most countries, there isn’t a cricket team where you can train. They wouldn’t have too many others to play against if they had a team, which is a huge training problem.
But, this doesn’t matter to the Indian community, which praises the sport of cricket as their national sport. The US might have NFL lines, but cricket is also very important for the gambling community. This is also a big influence on the sport, and they are trying to spread all over the world.
It’s A Part of Their Culture
The biggest reason it’s so popular in India is that it has become a part of their culture. Every large city in the country needs to have a stadium where people can practice and play matches. This is also necessary for the sport because the games last a few hours, and there are many teams that need free time on the field.
They have included it in many Bollywood movies, so you can say it’s present everywhere in India. Their team is also one of the best in the world, and with the huge population they have, they can pick out the best players in the world. This is a big advantage for them, so they won the world cup twice.
It’s A Part of the Gambling Community
Gambling is a huge problem in India because everyone is looking to make fast money. The difference between rich and poor is very noticeable, so they look for other ways to make a living. Fixing matches has happened before, and movies have been made about it.
The cricket odds are not so great compared to the NFL odds because it’s hard to make an offer on a game that lasts a few days. This is why many bookies don’t even have cricket as one of the offers for gambling. But, this hasn’t stopped some people with influence from fixing matches and betting on the winner.
Everyone Can Play It
When you physically compare people from India and some from Sweden, you will see a noticeable difference in height and physical strength. This means that they will have a disadvantage in basketball and other sports that require a lot of strength and speed. You can imagine what the Vegas NFL odds would look like if they played against the Indian team.
India’s soccer and basketball teams didn’t have any great results in the past century, which is why they love cricket. The advantage of cricket over other sports is that everyone can become good at it, and you need only a few players to play it.
They have many national leagues, so there is a spot for everyone, no matter the size and physical ability. You can see the kids playing the sport on the street with little to no equipment. All you need is a bat or something that resembles a bat and a ball.
Cricketers are Role Models
Some cricket players are celebrities in their country like Christiano Ronaldo is in soccer. They inspire many young people who are trying to become professional athletes. Some of the biggest names in the sport include Sunil Gavaskar, MS Dhoni, Kapil Dev, and many more.
The Biggest National League
Many things changed in 2008 when Twenty20 was introduced to the public. Their Premier League is the biggest money maker in sports in India. They reached $1 billion in revenue, but that’s not the only benefit.
Because of this league format, everyone can see players that didn’t have the opportunity to show their skill in India. They have other sports that are also very popular, but nothing can beat the popularity of cricket. Some assume that genetics has something to do with their good play style.
