History of cricket in India to 1918: Difference between revisions

{{unsourced|date=April 2012}}

This article describes the '''history of cricket in India to 1918'''.

==Beginnings==

The entire history of cricket in India and the sub-continent as a whole is based on the existence and development of the [[British Raj]] via the [[East India Company]].

On 31 December 1600, [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] granted a [[Royal Charter]] to the [[East India Company|English East India Company]], often colloquially referred to as "John Company".  It was initially a joint-stock company that sought trading privileges in India and the East Indies, but the Royal Charter effectively gave it a 21-year monopoly on all trade in the region.  In time, the East India Company transformed from a commercial trading venture to one which virtually ruled India as it acquired auxiliary governmental and military functions, until its dissolution in 1858 following the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857|Indian Mutiny]]. The East India Company was the means by which cricket was introduced into India.

In 1639, the Company effectively founded the city of [[Madras]], and in 1661 acquired [[Portuguese India|Portuguese territory]] on the west coast of India that included [[Bombay]]. In 1690, an Anglo-Mughal treaty allowed English merchants to establish a trading settlement on the Hooghly River, which became [[Calcutta]]. All of these places became leading centres of cricket as the popularity of the game grew among the native population.

The [[Calcutta CFC|Calcutta Cricket and Football Club]] was known to be in existence by 1792, but was possibly founded more than a decade earlier. In 1799, another club was formed at [[Seringapatam]] in south India after the successful British siege and the defeat of [[Tipu Sultan]].

An English team led by [[George Vernon]] in 1889–90 was the first foreign team to tour India but none of the matches that it played are considered first-class.  

Gradually, with the passage of time other communities also started playing cricket. The Hindus started playing first class cricket in 1907. The tournament became the Triangular tournament. In 1912, the Muslims also entered the arena of first class cricket. The tournament was then called the Quadrangular tournament with four teams- the Europeans, the Parsees, The Hindus and the Muslims playing matches against each other.

* 1892-93 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1893-94 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]

* 1894-95 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1895-96 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1896-97 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]

* 1897-98 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1898-99 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]

* 1899-00 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1900-01 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1901-02 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1902-03 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1903-04 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1904-05 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1905-06 – [[Hindus cricket team|Hindus]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1906-07 – [[Hindus cricket team|Hindus]]

* 1907-08 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1908-09 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]

* 1909-10 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1910-11 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Hindus cricket team|Hindus]]

* 1911-12 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1912-13 – [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1913-14 – [[Hindus cricket team|Hindus]] shared with [[Muslims cricket team|Muslims]]

* 1914-15 – [[Hindus cricket team|Hindus]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1915-16 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]

* 1916-17 – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

* 1917-18 – [[Hindus cricket team|Hindus]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]

==Leading players by season==

The lists below give the leading first-class runscorers and wicket-takers in each domestic season.

===Batsmen===

* 1892-93 – [[Arthur Hill (English cricketer)|Ledger Hill]] (Lord Hawke's XI) – 212 runs @ 35.33 (HS 132); the leading Indian batsman was Nasarvanji Bapasola with 155 @ 38.75 (HS 65)

===Bowlers===

==International cricket==

The first Indian ventures into international cricket were by the [[Parsees cricket team]] which toured England twice in the 1880s. See: [[Parsee cricket team in England in 1886]] and Parsee cricket team in England in 1888.

==International tours of India==

===Lord Hawke's XI 1892–93===

{{Further|Lord Hawke's XI cricket team in Ceylon and India in 1892–93}}

* [[Mihir Bose]], ''A History of Indian Cricket'', Andre-Deutsch, 1990

* [[Ramachandra Guha]], ''A Corner of a Foreign Field – An Indian History of a British Sport'', Picador, 2001

 

==External links==

* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Events/IND.html CricketArchive – Itinerary of Events in India]