Delhi, Oct 5, 2020, (UNI/HT Digital): There is a huge sense of community and culture surrounding sports in India, so today we’re going to be looking at some of the most popular games in 2020.
Sports are a massive part of the culture in India with a huge variety of different games being played competitively. This is mainly because the country is home to so many diverse communities, but also because its colonial history led to British sports becoming deeply ingrained in its culture, too. As such, in our article today, we are going to be looking at the biggest sports in India and why exactly they are so popular. Keep reading to see if your favourites made our list.
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1.) Cricket
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that cricket is the most popular sport in India. Even though the game originated in Britain, cricket is mainly associated with India now. After winning and hosting the Cricket World Cup several times, cricket has also become a huge part of the country’s culture. The game was first played in 1721 and now Indians everywhere play the sport with there being leagues for both men and women. The most successful cricketers are revered in the country, considered celebrities of the highest order. Gambling on cricket results is also a common pastime in India with spectators using websites like cricketbetting.vip.
2.) Football
Football is the most popular sport in the world and so it makes sense that it would be prevalent in India, too. However, football is more of a spectator sport in the South Asian country, with the national football team only being 105th in the world. This being said, 160 million people tuned in for the first-ever Indian Soccer League in 2014. Still, its popularity in India is mainly fuelled by the influence of western countries.. As such, the Premier League always attracts a sizable audience.
3.) Field Hockey
The national sport of India is hockey. It’s also the most successful game that the country has played at the Olympic sports, with the national team bringing home eight gold medals when it was led by Dhyan Chand. Unfortunately, field hockey has somewhat declined in India. Some of this came down to clashes within the hockey federation, allowing other countries like Australia and the Netherlands to catch up. Hopefully, India will regain its crown soon.
4.) Badminton
Though India hasn’t been hugely successful when it comes to the international leagues for badminton, it has become incredibly popular in the country regardless. After Saina Nehwal won a bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, there was a surge of interest in India. This movement was further propelled when PV Sindhu won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics. An increasing number of talented players are starting to emerge onto the Indian Badminton scene, so we’re intrigued to see the potential of this sport.
These are some of the most popular sports in India. We don’t imagine cricket will be going anywhere any time soon – and we’ll be keeping a close eye on badminton to see where else this brilliant racket game could go. Also, fingers-crossed that India returns to its former glory when it comes to field hockey.