From Colonial Import to National Obsession: How India Came to Rule Cricket

Vaidehi Somaiya, Ahmedabad

As of January 2026, Indian cricket team ranks as number 1 in ODI and T20 International according to ICC rankings. But do you know where the first cricket match was played in India? 

Although cricket was first played by English sailors, local people seem to have watched the game with interest. Trade routes connecting Khambhat with Surat, Nadiad and Ahmedabad helped the game travel inland, along with bats and stumps. By the late nineteenth century, records show that students at Gujarat College were already playing cricket regularly.

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The year 1721 was when the first game of cricket was recorded in India. It was played in the port town of Khambhat (‘Cambay’ – as the Europeans called it).

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“Gore patloon pehenkar ee khel ka cricket kehet hai, aur hum langoti baandh ke gilli-danda.” A dialogue from the cult favourite movie – ‘Lagaan’ is symbolic of how gilli-danda (India’s street version of cricket) or cricket – no matter the name, began as colonial pastime, was now a symbol of resistance and unity.

Even Lt Downing’s book, published in 1737 — ‘A Compendious History of the Indian Wars’ — has a reference to the gentleman’s game being played by sailors and watched by coolies – “We lay here near a fortnight before our captain returned and all the while kept a good look out; and tho’ all the country round was inhabited by the culeys, we everyday diverted ourselves with playing cricket, and other exercises, which they would come and be spectator of.” 

Three centuries later, India reigns supreme, ranked No. 1 in ICC ODI and T20I rankings as of February 2026, with the men’s senior team amassing seven major ICC titles, women’s senior team winning their 1st Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, and both men’s and women’s U19 squads dominating youth events at the global forum. 

The rise of the clubs

Cricket slowly moved out of the British military areas in Shahibaug and into local schools. As English-medium schools adopted the game, students began forming their own teams. At the same time, older local games like chogan (a traditional equestrian polo game) gradually disappeared from everyday life.

At first, the wider public showed little interest. Over time, however, the competitive nature of the game attracted more players and spectators. Communities began forming clubs based on social and professional groups, leading to the creation of Hindu, Muslim, Parsi and Patel cricket clubs. The Hindu Gymkhana soon became one of the most important centres of organised cricket in the region.

To encourage the sport, prestigious trophies were established:

• The Gordhandas Cup: Started by a local enthusiast named Ramniklal in memory of his brother.
• The Sir Chinubhai Madhavlal Trophy: Initiated by Girjaprasad, the grandson of Ranchhodlal Chhotalal who was Ahmedabad’s father of industrialisation, pioneer of cotton textile in the city.

Girijaprasad also started the ‘Baronet Cricket Club,’ scouting the best talent from various local teams. In those days, Gujarat College grounds, the Railway grounds in Kankaria, or school matches within the historic Bhadra area were the play areas for cricket matches.

Gujarat’s 1st Cricket Club

The landscape changed forever with the establishment of the BCCI in 1928. This led to a wave of regional formalization. In 1934, the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) was founded in Ahmedabad, with Girjaprasad Chinubhai (the Second Baronet) serving as its first President. He was supported by Vice President Prof. V.B. Divetia and Secretaries C.N. Desai and H.D. Desai.

Today, Ahmedabad’s identity is inseparable from the sport. The passion that began with sailors in Khambhat has culminated in a city that lives and breathes cricket.

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