It’s said only films and cricket unite India. In terms of pan-Indian recognition and affection, even Bollywood stands second to the country’s national obsession, cricket. Cricket cuts through barriers of region and language that this cultural behemoth can’t scale. It’s why in a recent survey Sachin Tendulkar scored over Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan both on visibility and a “quality” index that ranked celebrities for reflecting virtues like trustworthiness and honesty. India is probably the only country where cricket is played on every street corner.
The popularity of the sport in India has translated into the fact that the business of international cricket is dependent on Indian Cricket. Some estimates reckon Indian cricket economy to be worth Rs 1,000 crore a year, driving between 60 and 70 per cent of the world’s cricket business.
Cricket’s boom in the 1990s was closely linked to commerce. It is now a child of satellite television and free market, not only a popular and profitable sport but a brand; a financial force that supports an entire industry made up of players, officials, sponsors, television executives, event promoters, agent and finally the consumer, who can’t get enough of this product.
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