Why India Keeps Crushing the Competition in Global Cricket-The Secret Revealed!

There is a special relationship between India and cricket. It is a unique symbiosis in the world of sports. There’s nothing similar in any other part of the world. Yes, New Zealand and rugby are special, or England and Italy and soccer, or Americans and football. Yet, nothing comes close to India and cricket. The sport is like a religion in this part of Southeast Asia. 

In terms of cricket, India is one of the most dominant sporting nations in the world. This applies to both international and domestic cricket. For years, the nation has been at the top of all cricket charts. They are crushing it globally, and why many people believe there is a secret behind the Indian success, there are quite a few logical reasons behind what makes them so good. So, keep reading, and find out why India keeps crushing the competition in global cricket. 

It Is a National Sport

As we said, there is nothing quite like the relationship between India and cricket in any other nation in the world. Cricket is a national sport in India, and there are no comparisons between it and any other sport in the country. People are often wondering how it is possible that the nation that has over 1 billion people living there is not a world power in terms of sports, especially at the Olympics. The answer is simple, the majority of people in India have focused only on cricket. It is a national sport which takes attention from everything else, and Indians have no issues with matter being like that. As far as sports betting goes, it is also the most popular sports to bet on at Stake as far as Southeast Asia goes and that should tell you enough. 

The Talent Pool 

When you know just how popular cricket is in India, it is easy to understand that people there aren’t just loving to watch and talk about cricket. They are, laying it too. Cricket is played on every level of the game in India. Every child in every region of India from Ladak to Kerala is into cricket. The talent pool is almost limitless. With everyone trying to play one way or another it is like everyone in India is a potential cricket player. While it is extremely difficult to get to the top of the game in India, everyone gets their chance. In India there are local leagues, regional ones, state ones, and finally there is the most famous cricket league in the world, the Indian Premier League. It is possible to climb the ladder from your local team in India all the way to the IPL, and eventually to the Indian national team. 

No Indian Players are Allowed to Play Abroad 

While this sounds like a rule from a distant past that was applied to athletes from the Soviet Union or ex-Yugoslavia, it is a reality for cricket players in India even today. Yet, the matters are a bit different. Only players who have intent of playing for the national team are not allowed to play abroad. This is decided so that the talent pool remains local and that the Indian national team retains its dominance. The players are also on board with this, and many of them are not even interested in playing abroad. They see the honour of representing the national team as the highest possible honour given to them. Also, at the end of the day, as we already said, cricket is played at every level and no other country compares to India in that domain. So, it doesn’t make too much sense for the top talent to seek chances of playing abroad. They have the best product at home, and IPL offers the best salaries in cricket. Of course, the players who have no intention to play for the India national team (a true rarity) and those who have ended their international career often seek opportunities abroad for the sheer experience of it. 

The Best Infrastructure 

Considering the popularity of the sport in India it is no wonder that they have invested plenty into the infrastructure. India is a home to some of the most majestic cricket stadiums in the world. The most famous ones are Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Eden Gardens and Narendra Modi Stadium. These are all national stadiums that are homes to international cricket games. In addition to those, there are numerous larger and smaller venues all over India where cricket is played almost daily. As far as international stadiums go, the current number in India stands at 52. They also have more than a dozen regional cricket leagues, all of which produce players who eventually get the chance, if good enough, to compete in the IPL. Lastly, the country has numerous equipment manufacturers who make the best equipment for cricket in the world. One of the global leaders is the Sareen Sports Industries, but in addition to this conglomerate there are more than a few regional manufacturers who ensure that cricket gear remains available to every team or player, keeping the sport competitive from the richest parts of India to those less fortunate. 

The Indian Premier League 

The secret is always hidden out in the open. When people explore cricket fixtures and odds on Stake they’re usually looking to bet in the IPL. The Indian Premier League is the premium cricket competition in the world besides the national teams competitions. IPL was established in 2007 and it now features ten franchise teams that compete for the title. Remember when we said that Indian players are not allowed to play abroad if they’re to play for the Indian national team? Well, as far as IPL goes, it attracts both the best domestic players and the top foreign talent. IPL is a league that works on a draft principle where all teams get to retain a few of their best players from the past seasons, and to add new ones through the draft based on their budget and the selection position. Considering that the IPL is the best paid league in the world many foreign players are more than willing to play in it. Of course, India desires to have their best players tested against the best that the word has to offer, so they accept foreigners in their home league. Players from Australia, England, or South Africa play in the IPL year in and year out giving it that international prestige and worldwide coverage. 

Top Talent 

The years of being infatuated with the sport has given rise to plenty of talented cricketers in India. The sport has been popular in the country since the day the British colonizers brought it to the holy land of Hinduism. With years, the players got better and better, so it is no surprise that some of the top talent in the world belongs to India. Currently we have the likes of Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Pradish Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan leading the way for the future generations of Indian cricketers. These players are not just the best Indian cricket players. They are also some of the best in the world. The likes of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma are easily in the top ten players in the world. They’re not only good at what they do, but are also global superstars in terms of popularity. Considering the number of people living in India there is not even a need for these players to be popular outside of India to make them superstars. The likes of Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are not only athletes but are bonafide celebrities in India easily compared with some of the biggest names in Bollywood such as Aamir Khan or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Success Breeds More Success 

For players from India the biggest attainable honour is winning a trophy with the national team. It is not a sport played solely for money, fame, or domestic IPL success. All those things are sorted below the success one could have with the Indian national cricket team. They are not only competing with their opponents but are also fighting against the ghost of the past. Each generation of Indian cricketers had their top players and have managed to rake in international trophies. India has won the Cricket World Cup two times, in 1983 and 2011 while also finishing as the runner up on two occasions in 2003 and 2023. Winning on the international stage is not an easy feat, and with two World Cup trophies they’re the second most successful nation in the competition behind Australia with 6. It is a matter of pride to play well at the World Cup for most Indian players and yet they have fallen short on more than a few occasions. No other nation faces the same amount of pressure as the Indian national team does. Despite the pressure they’ve won 2 ICC World Cups, 2 ICC World Twenty20, and 3 ICC Champion’s Trophies. The current generation has a good chance of competing for the trophy at the 2027 World Cup, and winning it in the year prior to the sport getting back to the Olympics would set a tune for their performance at the 2028 Olympics. 

Massive Fan Base 

While there is a slight chance that not every Indian has attempted to play cricket, there is not a single ounce of probability that there is a person who hasn’t watched at least one cricket match in their lives. The popularity of cricket in India can’t be compared to anything else. Their stadiums are packed at every level. We’re not talking only about the India national team, which when playing games at home fills every venue, or the IPL which packs venues too. Even at local and regional venues, there are people in crowds watching their teams performing. Even at school competitions you can find hundreds if not thousands of people watching. The sport also has nationwide television coverage, so that the people who are not lucky enough to get a ticket to a stadium venue could watch the matches at home. There is no official data on the number of fans of cricket in India. Roughly, the sport has 1 billion fans, with 90% of those being located in India. 

Investments 

Cricket is a sport that receives the most funding of all sports in India. Considering just how much money gets poured into cricket it is no wonder that no other sport gets enough in India. The disparity present is the reason why India is a cricket powerhouse while the success is lacking in other fields, if we count out chess. The best example are the owners of the IPL franchises which are both rich individuals and corporate entities. When you know that companies such as India Cements and CVC Capital Partners and individuals such as Sanjiv Goenka and Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Jay Mehta invest into cricket you get the idea why the sport prospers. The best part is that they are no longer confined only to the Indian subcontinent. Some of the Indian franchises have extended their influence to North America and have ownership in the recently founded American Major League Cricket. In India, the funding for cricket is never an issue, and the teams and players back there have access to the best equipment, top facilities, and highest graded venues. Have this in mind the next time when you check sports odds on Stake looking for top cricket matches to bet on.

With everything said above, it is easy to understand why India is a sports powerhouse as far as cricket goes. They have the deepest talent pool, the biggest fan base out there, top players playing the sport already, and plenty more waiting in the shadows to emerge. With high end facilities and a never ending stream of financing for the sport, India is going to remain the powerhouse it was and is for years to come.