Question

Cricket in 19th century India was linked to __________
A. Politics of colonialism.
B. Politics of nationalism.
C. Civilizing mission of the British.
D. Colonialism and nationalism.

Answer 1

Hint: The Company of East India was the way by which cricket was brought into India.
As the popularity of the game increased among the native population, many of these places (Bombay, Madras and Calcutta) became leading centres of cricket.

Complete answer:
In England, which has colonized India for almost 200 years, cricket has its beginnings. The British have affected Indians in many respects over these years, and one of them is cricket. The British rulers introduced cricket to India. The game was played between the British nationals at the beginning. Later, as a result of the patronage given to it by the ruling class and the princely families, it struck deep roots in the Indian soil. Cricket also gave rise to nationalistic sentiments, as Indians were not permitted to play separately and were part of Britain's side. In India, as in any other region, the growth of modern nationalism is closely linked to the anti-colonial movement. People started to find their unity in the course of their war with colonialism. The anti-colonial movement offered the individuals with whom they could identify and could come on a shared forum a strong problem. While each class or group of persons believed that under colonialism they were being marginalized, the consequences of colonialism were felt differently.

Hence, the correct answer is (Option D).

Note:The first Indian tribe that began playing cricket in 1848 was the Parsees. They were sufficiently qualified by 1892 to play the presidential matches against the Europeans.
The Madras v. Calcutta match was arguably the beginning of first-class cricket in India in 1864. The game was rapidly embraced by Indian elites, both competing with British teams and with each other.
In the 19th century, the most significant fixture was the Bombay Presidency Match, which first developed into the Bombay Triangular and then the Bombay Quadrangular. The match was first played in 1877 and then for several seasons on an irregular basis before first-class status was eventually granted in 1892-93.