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The Indian Eye
STUMP VISION AUGUST 21, 2026 51

The India Story: From Underdogs

to a Cricketing Powerhouse

A Look at the remarkable evolution of Indian cricket from Independence in 1947 to the present day

ASIM KHANNA
New Delhi
hen India became independent in 1947,
cricket was still a colonial inheritance,
Wplayed largely by a small urban elite. In-
dia had already made its Test debut in 1932, but
international cricket remained a distant world dom-
inated by England, Australia and the West Indies.
The newly independent nation had talent, enthu-
siasm and an expanding audience, but not yet the
confidence or infrastructure to challenge the estab-
lished powers.
Nearly eight decades later, Indian cricket stands
at the centre of the global game. Its journey from a
struggling Test side to a cricketing superpower mir-
rors India’s own transformation — from a newly
independent country finding its feet to a confident
global power.
The early years were about learning. India’s
first Test victory, against England in Madras in 1952,
came two decades after its debut. The team pos-
sessed gifted batsmen and, particularly, a rich tradi- Virat Kohli’s India added a new dimension: relentless fitness and aggression. The emphasis on athleticism, fast bowling and
tion of spin bowling, but victories overseas remained
rare. Indian cricket was respected, but rarely feared. professional preparation changed the character of the team (File photo)
That began to change in 1971.
Under Ajit Wadekar, India defeated the West change. Tendulkar became the face of a new, aspi- But the evolution did not stop there.
Indies in the Caribbean and England in England. It rational generation. His battles against the world’s Virat Kohli’s India added a new dimension:
was a psychological breakthrough. The West Indies greatest bowlers were followed by millions, while relentless fitness and aggression. The emphasis on
were among the most formidable teams in world the rapid expansion of satellite television trans- athleticism, fast bowling and professional prepara-
cricket, while England represented the traditional formed cricket into a commercial spectacle. tion changed the character of the team. India began
centre of the sport. India’s victories demonstrated By the 1990s, Indian cricket’s influence was in- producing a formidable pace attack, led by Jasprit
that the country could compete — and win — be- creasingly extending beyond the boundary. India’s Bumrah, and established itself as a serious force in
yond its own conditions. enormous television audience gave it extraordinary overseas Test cricket.
At the heart of that transformation was Sunil commercial importance. Sponsorship and broad- The greatest evidence of India’s transforma-
Gavaskar, whose extraordinary debut series against casting revenues grew, and the Board of Control for tion, however, lies in its depth.
the West Indies announced the arrival of a batsman Cricket in India gradually became the most finan- The modern Indian team is no longer depen-
who would become an Indian sporting icon. cially powerful institution in the sport. dent on one Tendulkar, one Kohli or one Dhoni.
But if 1971 gave India belief, 1983 gave it a The team itself was changing too. The IPL, domestic cricket, age-group programmes,
sporting revolution. Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy at the turn of the academies and a vast scouting network have created
Kapil Dev’s team entered the World Cup in century brought a new attitude. India became more a continuous pipeline of talent.
England as outsiders. Nobody expected them to de- aggressive and less intimidated by opponents. Ra- Recent years have reinforced that strength.
feat the mighty West Indies. Yet India did exactly hul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Anil India’s 2023 World Cup campaign ended in heart-
that at Lord’s, lifting the World Cup and changing Kumble and Harbhajan Singh formed the back- break with defeat to Australia in the final, but the
Indian cricket forever. bone of a team that increasingly believed it could team responded by winning the 2024 T20 World
The victory created a generation of believers. win anywhere. Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. In 2026, In-
Children who watched Kapil lift the trophy began Then came MS Dhoni. dia won the T20 World Cup again, defeating New
dreaming of playing for India. Cricket moved from His young Indian side won the inaugural T20 Zealand in the final and becoming the first men’s
being merely the country’s most popular sport to World Cup in 2007, signalling the arrival of a com- team to win the tournament three times.
becoming a national obsession. Television amplified pletely new format and a completely new gener- The journey from 1947 to 2026 is therefore
the effect, bringing cricket into millions of homes ation. A year later, the Indian Premier League much more than a collection of victories.
and turning players into household names. transformed cricket’s economics. The IPL brought Indian cricket has evolved from survival to be-
The next great transformation arrived with international stars and young Indian players togeth- lief, from belief to ambition, and from ambition to
Sachin Tendulkar. er, created a massive entertainment industry and, dominance. It has absorbed global influences, built
His international debut at 16 in 1989 coincid- crucially, gave domestic cricketers exposure to elite its own institutions and eventually changed the bal-
ed with an India undergoing economic and social competition. ance of power in the sport.

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