Cricket - is a religion not heard by many but followed by plenty in India

After admiring so long for the any Indian cricket's team original jersey, finally I got one and at the back clearly stamped name of "Dhoni" one of the best ever cricketer in the world of cricket(some Indians even called him a god).

Chennai Superking Jersey

Cricket is a Religion in India

The Indian sub-continent has wide variety of people following different religions. Several books regarding India might suggest that Hinduism is the leading religion in this region. But the real India has a religion not heard by many, but followed by plenty in India. Cricket is the biggest religion in India.

God?

This religion has several gods who keep changing every few years, although there is no holy book for this religion; people can recite names and figures with ease.

One of the famous temple seen here

What is Cricket?

Some introduction to cricket. It is a sport just like any other sport played by very few countries around the world. It resembles baseball in the way it is played. Each team has 11 players and the team that scores most points(runs) in a day wins. To find out more about Cricket, check out Wikipedia.

Way Heading to State Cricket Tournament-horribly congested!

History

India picked up cricket from the British who once ruled over India for over 200 years. India has a big history with cricket with the Maharajas(Kings) playing the game. Indians are very fanatical about the game. Each game is not watched on sportive grounds but as a rite. When India wins a game, the whole nation erupts with joy and when they lose, there are usually some heads rolling and some players prematurely ending their career.

Myself on the way to Cricket Tournament

Cricket is crazy!

To befriend an Indian, the best thing one needs to do is follow Cricket. The fastest way to an Indian's heart is through Cricket. Likewise Malaysian, we all are football fanatic but most of us "kaki bangku". Should you know any other countries following sports so religiously just tell me where and what kind of sport?

Watching some Indian friends enjoying cricket in the heat of the sun in the summer

Indian Cricket- The Beginning

Cricket, the gentleman’s game, is the unofficial national game of India. Though seems to be embedded in the life of country, it did not originate in India. The origin of this game can be traced back to a place named Weald, near London. Initially played by the children of the farmers of the region, today it is the most popular sport after Soccer. There are many beliefs regarding the etymology of the word. Some people believe it to be originated from a French word ‘Crequet’, meaning a Club while others think it to be derived from an English word ‘Crycc’. The game took around 4 centuries to reach India. British brought this game to India in the 17th century. The records show that the first ever cricket match in India was played in 1721 AD. Initially accepted by the Parsi community, this game of foreigners began to appear in organized form with the establishment of the ‘Oriental Cricket Club’ in 1848. This cricket club of Mumbai marked the beginning of interest of Indian people in cricket. The first official cricket match was played between Parsis and Europeans in 1877 AD. Till late 19th century people of this country did not open their hearts to the game. The popularity of the game started building up among the Indian people when some of the Indians such as Sir Ranjitisinhji and Sir Duleepsinhji started playing cricket for English cricket team in 1900s. Their cricket score helped to raise the interest and prestige of the game among Indians.

Dhoni oh Dhoni - Autobiography

courstesy http://www.iloveindia.com/sports/cricket/cricketers/dhoni.html

Full Name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Born: July 7, 1981, Ranchi, Bihar

Major teams: India, Jharkhand

Batting style: Right-hand bat

Fielding Position: Wicketkeeper

Achievements: Highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs (183 not out); highest number of sixes (10) in an ODI innings by a wicketkeeper (most by an Indian); highest batting average for a wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the new poster boy of Indian cricket. With his long mane and swashbuckling batting style, Dhoni has the whole country drooling over him at this moment.Dhoni got his big break in the Indian team courtesy his exploits against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, where he destroyed bowling attacks with disdain. After making his one-day international debut against Bangladesh in Chittagong in December 2004 Dhoni remained subdued in the first four matches he played.It was his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, which heralded MS Dhoni's arrival at the big stage when the dashing wicket keeper cracked a dazzling 148 from just 123 balls. Dhoni followed it with another cracker of an innings against Sri Lanka on 31 October 2005, when he clobbered his way to a mammoth 183 off just 145 balls, thus breaking Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIsDuring this blitzkrieg, Dhoni also broke Saeed Anwar's record of most runs scored off boundaries by scoring a total of 120 runs off 4s and 6s eclipsing the previous record of 118. Riding on the good showing in the One-Dayers, Dhoni made his Test debut against Sri Lanka and in only his fifth Test, scored his maiden century to help India avoid follow-on against Pakistan. Ever since, Dhoni has been a crucial member of the Indian side.