It took 12 years and three aborted attempts before the first composite “All India” took the field. The first time the idea was floated was in 1898, following the stunning rise of Ranjitsinjhi, the Indian prince who bewitched Britain and the wider world with his sublime batting. The team was assembled by a diverse coalition of Indian businessmen, princely aristocrats, and publicists. The organizers of the 1911 tour wanted to use cricket to promote the image of India. The 1911 Indian cricket tour anticipated the future of Indian cricket in interesting ways. In mirroring the country’s social diversity, the 1911 Indian cricket team inaugurated a new register in which the nation came to be imagined. “Team India” is now a potent national symbol with an unparalleled popular appeal. Equally, the middle classes still form the core constituency of Indian cricket, providing the bulk of the game’s players and followers in the subcontinent.
Special mention
Sir Ranjitsinjhi Vibhaji Jadeja: Often known as Ranji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar as Maharaja Jam Saheb and a noted Test cricketer who played for the English cricket team. He also played first-class cricket for Cambridge University. Ranji has been widely recognized as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Unorthodox in technique and with fast reactions, he brought a new style to batting and revolutionized the game. He is famous for one particular shot known as leg glance. The first class cricket tournament in India, the Ranji Trophy, was named in his honour and inaugurated in 1935 by the Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.
