Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world today. The game has 2.5 billion fans all over the world, and apart from football, it is the most watched sport around the globe. The humble origins of the sport can be traced back to the 15th century, when it originated as a children’s game. And it wouldn’t be until the 18th and 19th centuries that it became a global phenomenon.
During this time, the British Empire began its mission of expansion. Soon, Britain held major power on almost every continent in the world, which brought upon the infamous phrase “the sun never sets on the British Empire”. It was in this era that the British brought cricket to India (and the rest of the world).
Very soon, the sport became a huge deal in South Asian countries, where it still remains the most popular sport today. India is home to some of the biggest cricket fans and top cricket players in the world today. On top of that, the sport is hugely popular on betting websites like Sportsbet.io, where cricket enthusiasts can place bets and stream the games they so enjoy.
Ever since 1864, when the first cricket match was played in India, the country has taken major steps in producing some of the best players in the cricket world. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of India’s greatest players, some of the greatest achievements of the Indian cricket team, and the rankings that the Indian cricket team holds today.
Table of Contents
The Top Players
Over the course of Indian history, we have seen some of the greatest cricket players in the world take the field. However, there is perhaps no more important player in India’s history than Ranjitsinhji Vihaji II, an Indian prince and the ruler of Nawangar. Though he might have been royalty, he is much more remembered as one of the greatest batsmen in Indian history.
1. Ranjitsinhji Vihaji II
Source: indiatimes.com
Ranji was born in 1872. As heir to the throne of Nawangar, he received an elite education. However, during his college years, Ranji’s father elected to pass him over as heir to the throne, and bestow it to his younger brother. Ranji still received a hefty allowance and was sent to study at Cambridge University, where he became one of the school’s top players.
Ranji played for the university, as well as for the England national cricket team. During his time playing, he earned the nickname “a Midsummer night’s dream of cricket” for his fabulous skills as a batsman. Today, Ranji is considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time, and certainly one of the most important players in the history of the sport.
2. Virat Kohli
Source: indiatoday.in
And speaking of some of the greatest batsmen, let us talk about the highest-ranked player in India today, Virat Kohli. Kohli began playing cricket in 2011, and very soon reached the top spot in the ICC ranking for batsmen.
Kohli plays for Delhi and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League. Playing for these two teams, the athlete has won several awards. One of the most prestigious trophies he has won is the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, twice.
During his career, Kohli has also been named ICC Test Player of the Year on three different occasions and has been named Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World on three separate occasions as well. Both Times and Forbes have named him one of the most influential people in the world.
Dozens of other top-tier players hail from India, such as Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and many more. However, the individual achievements of these players all come together in the achievement of the Indian national cricket team. Let us take a look at India’s top achievements in the world of cricket.
The Top Achievements
The Indian national cricket team is coached by Rahul Dravid and captained by Rohit Sharma, one of India’s best players active today. Virat Kohli also plays for the team as the right-hand batsman. The team has been a full member of the International Cricket Council since 1926 and they achieved their Test status in 1931.
Source: telegraphindia.com
India has won several of the most prominent cricket tournaments today, including two Cricket World Cup competitions, one in 1983 and the second in 2011 (which is widely considered to be one of the best years for the team since it began competing).
Apart from their achievements in the World Cup, the team has also won the ICC T20 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy on two separate occasions. All in all, the team holds five major awards and a plethora of other, lesser-known, trophies.
As far as their rankings in the ICC, the Indian team is one of the top-ranking teams. They hold the third spot in One Day International Cricket, with over 3400 points and a rating of 111. The only two teams that stand above India are the English and New Zealand team.
As far as Test cricket is concerned, India is ranked second. They’ve held the first spot on a few occasions, however, in 2024, the Australians emerged on top. And finally, India’s biggest success comes in Twenty20 International Cricket. The team holds the number 1 rank, ahead of some of the world’s most popular and successful teams such as Australia, New Zealand, England, and Pakistan.
Conclusion
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India is one of the epicenters of cricket today. It is home to a huge amount of cricket fans and the sport is the favorite pastime of many nationals. From a professional perspective, the country has produced some of the greatest cricketers of our time and the Indian national team absolutely dominates all three formats of cricket. According to the ICC, they hold high-ranked positions in all three different formats, with Twenty20 International being the one where they enjoy the biggest success.