History of Indian Cricket - The game of cricket started in India in the middle of the 18th century before the 1930s. On 3 March 1845 the magazine Sporting Intelligence published a lengthy match report between 'soldier' cricketers and Europeans. The article proved that Indian cricket was going on in a city called Sylhet in modern Bangladesh. An impressed reporter proudly said, "The most enthusiastic European cricketers could not have played with more energy and enthusiasm than the constables". However, cricket historians unanimously suggest that organized cricket by Indians began with the formation of the 'Parsi Oriental Cricket Club' in Bombay in the year 1848. Parsi cricket The first Indian to adopt the sport was the Parsis of Bombay, an educated, affluent, and progressive community. In 1848 the Parsi boys established the 'Oriental Cricket Club'. The emerging Parsi middle class favored cricket as a means of cementing ties with the overlords, while intellectuals hailed it as a renewal of material energy for the race. About thirty Parsi clubs were formed within two decades of the formation of the first club. He was named for the British viceroy and statesmen and Roman gods. Hindu Cricket The Hindus adopted the game of cricket for the primary reason that they did not want to lag behind the Parsis in any way. The first Hindu club 'Bombay Union' was formed in 1866. The Hindus started playing cricket because of the social and commercial rivalry with the Parsis.
Hindu cricketers ranked themselves based on caste and region of origin. One of the first Hindu cricketers was Ramchandra Vishnu Navlekar. Some of the main clubs were Gaur Saraswat Cricket Club, Kshatriya Cricket Club, Gujarati Union Cricket Club, Maratha Cricket Club, Telugu Yun Cricketers, etc. "There is no more acceptable sight to me," remarked the Mayor of Bombay in 1886, "engaged eagerly and eagerly in this manly game by many ardent Parsi and Hindu cricketers spread across the grounds. The Gymkhana The all-white Bombay Gymkhana, which had refused entry even in Ranji, was established in 1875. Europeans invited Parsis to play with them for the first time in 1877. It became more or less a regular feature, although it was a decade ago. The Parsis eventually managed to win. From 1886, the Hindus also began to play an annual match with the Europeans.
With the efforts of the Laxmani and Tyabji families, who were also famous for their social work such as the establishment of schools and good work in the law courts, the Muslims also established their cricket club in 1883. It was known as Muslim Cricket Club. Cricket in India was greatly encouraged by the formation of Parsi, Hindu, and Muslim gymnasiums in the 1890s. To end their conflict with the colonists, the British allocated a plot to each of the city's three major religious communities. Ranjitsinhji A notable mention in this era is the significant contribution of the Black Prince, Prince Ranjitsinhji, who moved to England to study at the University of Cambridge and was given a cricket "blue" in his final year by the college. He then played county cricket for Sussex. He made his Test debut for England in 1896. This made him the first Indian to play Test cricket. Ranjit Singhji was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1897. He scored a century in the second innings on his Test debut, making him the second batsman for England to achieve the feat.
During the year 1899, he scored 2,780 runs in a single season which was the highest total ever! India's most prestigious first-class cricket tournament - the Ranji Trophy was named after him to honor this legendary cricketer. Bombay Quadrangular It started as a competition between Parsis and Europeans and evolved thereafter. Hindus joined in 1886. These matches came to be called Presidency matches due to their increasing popularity. A triangular tournament started in 1907 involving Parsis, Europeans, and Hindus. It was in 1912 that Muslims joined the league of the famous Bombay tournament and turned it into a quadrangle. Neutral umpires were introduced in 1917. Till now, umpires were appointed mainly from Bombay Gymkhana. However, all this changed, and umpires started being appointed from non-competitive teams. In the 1920s, the quadrangle tournament gained immense popularity. Players were selected from across the subcontinent region. This gave a big boost to cricket in India and many other tournaments were started all over the country. In the year 1937, a new team called the Rests was included in the already four teams, turning it into a pentangular tournament. However, due to communal tension in 1946.