GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Gujarat Board GSEB Class 7 English Textbook Solutions Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.

Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

GSEB Class 7 English The Story of Cricket Text Book Questions and Answers

Comprehension check – I

Question 1.
Cricket is originally a /an
(1) Indian game.
(2) British game.
(3) International game.
Mark the right answer.
Answer:
British game.

Question 2.
“There is a historical reason behind s both these oddities.” In the preceding two paragraphs, find two words/phrases that mean the same as ‘oddities’.
Answer:

  1. peculiarities
  2. curious characteristic

Question 3.
How is a cricket bat different from a hockey stick ?
Answer:
A cricket bat is thick and flat while a hockey stick is bent at the bottom.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Comprehension Check – II

Question 1.
A ‘professional’ cricket player is one who makes a living by playing cricket. Find the opposite of ‘professional’ in the last paragraph.
Answer:
Amateur

Question 2.
In “the triumph of the one-day game”, ‘triumph’ means the one-day game’s
(1) superiority to Test cricket.
(2) inferiority to Test cricket.
(3) achievement and success over Test cricket.
(4) popularity among viewers.
Mark the right answer.
Answer:
popularity among viewers.

Question 3.
“… the men for whom the world is a stage”.
(1) It refers to the famous cricket fields in the world.
(2) It means that there are many cricket playing countries in the world.
(3) It implies that cricketers are like actors and every cricket ground is like a stage on which the drama of cricket is enacted the world over.
Mark the right answer.
Answer:
It implies that cricketers are like actors and every cricket ground is like a stage on which the drama of cricket is enacted the world over.

Working With The Text

Question 1.
Name some stick-and-ball games that you have witnessed or heard of.
Answer:
hockey, polo, squash, golf.

Question 2.
The Parsis were the first Indian community to take to cricket. Why ?
Answer:
Parsis were in close contact with the British because of their interest in trade. They ; were the first Indian community to westernise and went up taking up the game of cricket.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Question 3.
The rivalry between the Parsis and the Bombay Gymkhana had a happy ending 1 for’the former. What does ‘a happy ending’ ’ refer to ?
Answer:
‘Happy ending’ refers to the defeat of ; the Bombay Gymkhana by the Parsi club in a cricket match held in 1889.

Question 4.
Do you think cricket owes its present ! popularity to television ? Justify your answer.
Answer:
Yes, cricket owes its popularity to television. It has expanded the audience of the game by taking cricket to villages and small towns. Children from these places now had the chance to learn the game seeing the international games and imitating their favourite cricketers.

Question 5.
Why has cricket a large viewership in India, not in China or Russia ?
Answer:
Cricket is played and watched in former British colonies. It is not played in communist countries like China and Russia, so it has less viewership there. India is one of the oldest cricket playing nation which further adds to its large viewership in the country.

Question 6.
What do you understand by the game’s (cricket) ‘equipment’ ?
Answer:
The accessories like bat, ball, stumps and bails are the equipment used in playing the game. Pads, helmets and gloves are protective equipment used while playing cricket.

Question 7.
How is Test cricket a unique game in many ways ?
Answer:
Test cricket is unique because it can go on for five days and still can end with a draw. No other game requires even half of this time to finish. A football match is played for 90 minutes. Even nine innings of a baseball match gets over less than what it takes to finish a one-day match.

Question 8.
How is cricket different from other team games ?
Answer:
Cricket is different from other team games because in cricket, the length of the pitch is mentioned as 22 yards. However, the shape of the ground could be oval or circular. There is no specific measurement for the size of the ground as well. It is the only game played for five days and can end without a specific result. Unlike cricket, most other popular games like hockey or football follows certain specification for grounds.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Question 9.
How have advances in technology affected the game of cricket ?
Answer:
Advancement in technology has been used in manufacturing protective equipment in cricket. The newly invented vulcanised rubber was used in pads and gloves. The helmets are made up of metal and lightweight synthetic materials.

Question 10.
Explain how cricket changed with changing times and yet remained unchanged in some ways.
Answer:
With the change of time, technology get more advanced and players started wearing protective equipment. Earlier the bat. was made of one piece, today it has a separate blade and handle. Decisions became more fair with motion sensor cameras. But still, both bat and ball are handmade, not industrially, manufactured.

Working With Language

Question 1.
Word search:

  • Twelve words associated with cricket are hidden in this grid.
  • Six can be found horizontally and the remaining six vertically.
  • Two words have been found for you.

Clues to the hidden words Eire given below:
Horizontal: six deliveries, four runs, attacked while out of arena, no result, stumps, fielder to the off-side of the wicketkeeper
Vertical: stumps flying, back to the pavilion, a lofty one, mid-air mishap, not even one out of six, goes with bat
GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket 1
Answer:
Horizontal: Over, Boundary, Stumped, Draw, Wicket, Slip
Vertical: Bowled, Out, Six, Caught, Maiden, Ball

Question 2.
Add -ly to the italicised word in each sentence. Rewrite the sentence using the new word. See the examples first.

  • He runs between wickets as if his legs were stiff.
    He runs between wickets stiffly.
  • Why did the batsman swing the bat in such a violent manner?
  • Why did the batsman swing the bat so violently ?

(1) It is obvious that the work has not been done in a proper way.
(2) He made the statement in a firm manner.
(3) The job can be completed within a week in an easy way.
(4) You did not play in a serious manner, or else you would have , won the match.
(5) She recited the poem in a cheerful manner.
Answer:
(1) It is obvious that the work has not been done properly.
(2) He made the statement firmly.
(3) The job can be completed within a week easily.
(4) You did not play seriously, or else you would have won the match.
(5) She recited the poem cheerfully.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Question 3.
Use the following phrases appropriately in place of the italicised words in the sentences given below:
GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket 2
as a matter of fact we had better see to it by accident as well
(1) Actually, I didn’t intend to come to your place. I reached here without planning.
(2) Sunil, there’s a letter for you in today’s post. There’s one for me also.
(3) Everybody thought I had composed the poem. The truth is my younger sister did it.
(4) The doctor told the patient to make sure that he took his pills on time.
(5) It will be better for us to plan our trip before setting out.
Answer:
(1) Actually, I didn’t intend to come to your place. I reached there by accident.
(2) Sunil, there’s a letter for you in today’s post. There’s one for me as well.
(3) Everybody thought I had composed the poem. As a matter of fact, my younger sister did it.
(4) The’ doctor told the patieht to SeG ‘tO it that he took his pills on time.
(5) We had better plan our trip before setting out.

Speaking And Writing

Question 1.
Complete each of the following words using gh, ff or f. Then say each word clearly after your teacher:
(i) e……. ……ort
(ii) …act
(iii) con…….ess
(iv) lau….. …..lng
(v) enou….. …..
(vi) hal…..
(vii) scru……. …….
(viii) rou……. …..
(ix) sti……. ……ly
(x) di…… ……..erence
(xi) sa…….ety
(xii) ……lush
Answer:
(i) effort
(ii) fact
(iii) confess
(iv) laughing
(v) enough
(vi) half
(vii) scruff
(viii) rough
(ix) stiffly
(x) difference
(xi) safety
(xii) flush

Question 2.
Write two paragraphs describing a bus ride to watch a cricket match in a village. Use the following points. Add some of your own.

  • two-hour journey by bus
  • an old and crowded bus
  • friendly passengers
  • visit to a village fair where the match is to be played
  • the match between two village teams
  • makeshift stumps, rough pitch and a rubber ball
  • the match was enjoyable, but the trip ivas tiring

Answer:
A cricket match was organized in Muzaffarnagar last week. I went to watch the match along with my friend. I live in Modinagar and Muzaffarnagar is two hours bus journey from my place. We caught a bus of Uttar Pradesh transportation from the bus depot near my place. It was an old and crowded bus. We didn’t get any seat and had to keep standing all through the journey. The passengers were mostly farmers from the nearby villages.

They were very simple and friendly. We were chatting with one another and cracking jokes. It was a long journey and the roads were very bad. When we finally reached Muzaffarnagar, I felt relaxed. There was a large fair being organized at the place where the match was to be played. There was still time left for the match to begin so we decided to enjoy the fare. There were many stalls of food items and games at the fare and we had great fun.

The match started on time. It was between two village teams. The pitch was very rough. There were makeshift stumps made of tree- stems. It was a rubber-ball with which they were playing. We were cheering for our team. There was a tough competition between both j the teams. Our village team scored 154 runs for 6 wickets in 10 overs and the rival team s scored 149 runs but they were all out in 9.2 overs. Thus, finally our village won the game. The match was very exciting and enjoyable, but the long journey had made us tired. It s was a very good day that left behind many sweet memories.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Writing

Write a paragraph on ‘My Favourite Game’ in about 150 words:
Answer:
of all the outdoor games, my most favourite is cricket. This game has been popularly accepted in India in recent years since India’s good performance in international cricket. The game of cricket is played on a large oval-shaped ground. Each team comprises eleven players. After the toss, players of one team goes for batting and the players of the other team bowl in turn. Also, there are fielders who stop ball and return it.

The batsman starts batting and defend the deliveries ‘ of the bowlers. The’game may be a One-day match or a Test-match lasting five days. In a test match, each team gets two innings to play. In a One-day match (also limited overs’ cricket), each team typically gets 50 overs to play. In case of Twenty-20 format, the team bowls for 20 overs each.

The team that scores more runs wins the match. The role of captains of both the teams is significant in such a game. There are two umpires whose opinion and decision are to be accepted by the players of both the teams. In case, the two umpires fail to take on the spot decision, or there is a strong appeal from the bowling-fielding team, the help of third umpire is taken. The third umpire is a digital device and the decision given by it are accurate and doubtless. I never miss any international cricket match.

My favourite cricketer is Virat Kohli. Every Sunday, I go to the nearby park to play cricket. Like other games, cricket is also a toilsome game and the practice of it keeps the players fit and healthy physically. Excellent team spirit and sense of discipline can be f developed by joining and practising this game. I Deep concentration and determination are necessary to gain perfection.

GSEB Class 7 English The Story of Cricket Additional Important Questions and Answers

Select the most appropriate options as answers and complete the following sentences:

Question 1.
Originally an old English word ‘bat means ……………….
A. ‘stick’.
B. ‘club’.
C.‘branch of a tree’.
D. both ‘A’ and ‘B’.
Answer:
D. both ‘A’ and ‘B’.

Question 2.
Till the middle of the eighteenth century, bats had ……………… shape at the bottom.
A. flat
B. round
C. curved
D. none of these three
Answer:
C. curved

Question 3.
Originally cricket is a game of ………………..
A. Australia.
B. West Indies.
C. India.
D. England.
Answer:
D. England.

Question 4.
At Adelaide, the cricket ground is ………………..
A. circular.
B. oval.
C. square.
D. rectangular.
Answer:
B. oval.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Question 5.
What is the width of a cricket bat ?
A. Four inches
B. Eight inches
C. Five inches
D. Six inches
Answer:
A. Four inches

Question 6.
Cricket bats are not made of ……………..
A. fibreglass.
B. plastic.
C. metal.
D. all of these three.
Answer:
D. all of these three.

Question 7.
The origins of Indian cricket are to be found in ………………..
A. Chennai.
B. Delhi.
C. Mumbai.
D. Rajkot.
Answer:
C. Mumbai.

Question 8.
The first international test cricket of India started in …………………..
A. 1932.
B. 1934.
C. 1937.
D. 1927.
Answer:
A. 1932.

Question 9.
……………. was the first captain of the Indian team to play against England.
A. Palwankar Baloo
B. Palwankar Vithal
C. C. K. Nayudu
D. Surinder Amarnath
Answer:
C. C. K. Nayudu

Question 10.
has the largest viewership of …………………. cricket.
A. India
B. Australia
C. England
D. South Africa
Answer:
A. India

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Question 11.
Now ICC headquarters is in ………………….
A. London.
B. West Indies.
C. Dubai.
D. India.
Answer:
C. Dubai.

Question 12.
A six at the Melbourne Cricket Ground need to clear much more ground than it does at ? Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. This means …………………
A. Feroz Shah Kotla and Melbourne Cricket Ground are of same size.
B. Melbourne Cricket Ground is larger than Feroz Shah Kotla.
C. Feroz Shah Kotla is larger than Melbourne Cricket Ground.
D. None of the above.
Answer:
B. Melbourne Cricket Ground is larger than Feroz Shah Kotla.

Say whether the following sentences are True or False:

1. The length of the cricket ground is not specified.
Answer:
True

2. Chepauk cricket ground in Chennai is oval.
Answer:
False

3. The first written ‘Laws of Cricket’ were drawn up in 1746.
Answer:
False

4. The cricket ball is between five and six ounces.
Answer:
True

5. Originally in cricket the ball was rolled along the ground.
Answer:
True

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

6. Cricket’s most important tools are all made of natural, preindustrial materials.
Answer:
True

7. The first Indian community to start playing cricket was the small community of Zoroastrians, the Parsis.
Answer:
True

8. The first Test was played between England and Australia.
Answer:
True

Answer the following questions in two to three sentences each:

Question 1.
What are the changes the cricket bat has undergone with time?
Answer:
Initially the cricket bat was similar to the shape of hockey bat because the ball was bowled underarm. The bowlers then began to pitch the ball through the air rather than rolling it on ground. The curved bats were then replaced by the straight ones. Initially the bat was made by a single piece of wood. These days it consists of two pieces. The blade is made of willow wood while the handle is of cane.

Question 2.
C. K. Nayudu name is recorded in the history of cricket. What are the reasons that make him a legend?
Answer:
C. K. Nayudu is revered because he was an outstanding batsman. He was one of the few initial Indian cricketers who got to play the test match cricket. Nayudu created history by becoming the first captain of the Indian Test team.

Answer the following questions in four to five sentences each:

Question 1.
During the 1760 and 1770s, it became common to pitch the ball through the air. What changes it brought into the game of cricket?
Answer:
Following the above mentioned trend, one immediate change was the replacement of the curved bats by the straight ones. The bowlers got the options of length, deception through air and increased pace because of this. It opened new possibilities for spin and swing bowling. In response to tricks applied by the bowlers, the batsmen had to improve their timings and shot selection.

Question 2.
Explain elaborately India’s dominance in the world cricket today.
Answer:
India has the largest viewership for the game of cricket among all the test playing nations. It is also the largest market in the cricketing world. It has made the centre of gravity to shift towards South Asia from the country it originated. The ICC headquarters too were shifted from London to Dubai where it is tax-free. The Indian cricket players are the best paid in the international cricket, They are famous and have got millions of supporters.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Read the following passages and answer the questions given below them:

Question 1.
One of the peculiarities of cricket is that a Test match can go on for five days and still end in a draw. No other modern team sport takes even half as much time to complete. A football match is generally over s in an hour-and-a-half. Even baseball completes nine innings in less than half the time that it takes to play a limited-overs match, the s shortened version of modern cricket!

Another curious characteristic of cricket is that the length of the pitch is specified-22 yards-but the size or shape of the ground is not. Most other team sports such as hockey and football lay down the dimensions of the playing area. Cricket does not. Grounds can be oval like the Adelaide Oval or nearly circular, like Chepauk in Chennai. A six at the Melbourne Cricket Ground needs to clear much more ground than it does at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

Questions:
(1) Why have test matches lost their charm?
Answer:
A test match can go on for five days and still end in a draw, so people felt greatly bored and disappointed as well, so test matches have lost their charm.

(2) What is a shortened version of modem cricket?
Answer:
A limited-overs’ match is a shortened version of modern cricket.

(3) What is another curious characteristic of cricket ?
Answer:
Another curious characteristic of cricket is that the length of the pitch is specified-22 yards-but the size or shape of the ground is not.

(4) What kind of grounds are usually found in the game of cricket?
Answer:
In the game of cricket, usually oval or circular grounds are found.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Question 2.
During the 1760s and 1770s it became common to pitch the ball through the air rather than roll it along the ground. This change gave bowlers the options of length, deception through the air, plus increased pace. It also opened new possibilities for spin and swing. In response, batsmen had to master timing and shot selection. One immediate result was the replacement of the curved bat with the straight one.

The weight of the ball was limited to between 5 to 5 ounces, and the width of the bat to four inches. In 1774, the first leg-before law was published. Also around this time, a third stump became common. By 1780, three days had become the length of a major match, and this year also saw the creation of the first six-seam cricket ball.

Questions:
(1) What was the practice of bowling before 1760 ?
Answer:
Before 1760, while bowling, the ball was rolled along the ground and not spun or swung.

(2) How did the change in bowling facilitate bowlers?
Answer:
The change in bowling gave bowlers the options of length, deception through the air, plus increased pace. It also opened new possibilities for spin and swing.

(3) What changes in the shapes of bat and ball came over during the 1760s and 1770s?
Answer:
During the 1760s and 1770s the curved bat became the straight one and the weight of the ball was limited to between 5\(\frac {1}{2}\) to 5\(\frac {3}{4}\) ounces, and the width of the bat to
four inches.

(4) What changes were introduced in cricket by 1780s?
Answer:
By 1780, three days had become the length of a major match, and this year also saw the creation of the first six-seam cricket ball.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Question 3.
The origins of Indian cricket are to be found in Bombay and the first Indian community to start playing the game was the small community of Zoroastrians, the Parsis. Brought into close contact with the British because of their interest in trade and the first Indian community to westernise, the Parsis founded the first Indian cricket club, the Oriental Cricket Club, in Bombay in 1848. Par si clubs were funded and sponsored by Pars! businessmen like the Tatas and the Wadias. The white cricket elite in India offered no help to the enthusiastic Parsis.

In fact, there was a quarrel between the Bombay Gymkhana, a whites-only club, and Parsi cricketers over the use of a public park. The Parsis complained that the park was left unfit for cricket because the polo ponies of the Bombay Gymkhana dug up the surface. When it became clear that the colonial authorities were prejudiced in favour of their white compatriots, the Parsis built their own gymkhana to play cricket in. The rivalry between the Parsis and the Bombay Gymkhana had a happy ending for these pioneers of Indian cricket.

Questions:
(1) Which Indian community started playing cricket first in India?
Answer:
The first Indian community to start playing the game was the small community of Zoroastrians, the Parsis.

(2) How did the Oriental Cricket Club come into existence?
Answer:
The Parsis came into close contact with the British because of their interest in trade and they being the first Indian community. to westernise, they founded the first Indian cricket club, the Oriental Cricket Club, in Bombay in 1848.

(3) What was the issue of the use of the public park?
Answer:
The Parsis complained that the park was left unfit for cricket because the polo ponies of the Bombay Gymkhana dug up the surface.

(4) Why were the Parsis compelled to build their own gymkhana ?
Answer:
When it became clear that the colonial authorities were prejudiced in favour of their white compatriots, the Parsis built their own gymkhana’ to play cricket in.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Vocabulary

Choose the correct words from the brackets and complete the following passage:

Question 1.
(curving, curve, contact, roughly, underarm, middle)
Till the ………………. of the eighteenth century, bats were ……………….. the same shape as hockey
sticks …………….. outwards at the bottom. There was a simple reason for this: the belli was bowled ………………, along the ground and the ………………. at the end of the bat gave the batsman the best chance of making ……………….
Answer:
Till the middle of the eighteenth century, bats were roughly the same shape as hockey sticks, curving outwards at the bottom. There was a simple reason for this the ball was bowled underarm, along the ground and the curve at the end of the bat gave the batsman the best chance of making contact.

Question 2.
(internationals, become, public, national, memories, dominated)
Modern cricket is ………………… by Tests and one- day ……………… played between …………………. teams. The players who …………………. famous, who live on in the ……………… of cricket’s …………….are those who have played for their country.
Answer:
Modern cricket is dominated by Tests and one-day internationals, played between national teams. The players who become famous, who live on in the memories of cricket’s public, are those who have played for their country.

Grammar

Choose the correct Article(s), Conjunction(s) and Preposition (s) and complete the following passage:

Question 1.
Children ………………. had never previously had ………………. chance to watch international cricket
……………….. they lived ………………. the big cities, could now watch ………………. learn ……………….. imitating their heroes.
Answer:
Children who had never previously had the chance to watch international cricket because they lived outside the big cities, could now watch and learn by imitating their heroes.

Question 2.
…………….. you look ………………… the game’s equipment, you can see ………………. cricket both changed …………….changing times ……………… yet fundamentally remained true to its origins in rural England. Cricket’s most important tools sire all made of natural, preindustrial materials. The bat is made ……………… leather, twine and cork.
Answer:
If you look at the game’s equipment, you can see how cricket both changed with changing times and yet fundamentally remained true to its origins in rural England. Cricket’s most important tools are all made of natural, preindustrial materials. The bat is made with leather, twine and cork.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate forms of verbs given in the brackets and complete the texts:

Question 1.
But in the matter of protective equipment, cricket ………..1…………. (influence) by technological change. The invention of vulcanised rubber …………..2…………… (lead) to the introduction of pads in 1848 and protective gloves soon afterwards, and the modern game would be unimaginable without helmets ……………3…………… (make) out of metal and synthetic lightweight materials.
Answer:
1. has been influenced
2. led
3. made

Question 2.
Modern cricket ………….1…………… (dominate) by Tests and one-day internationals, played between national teams. The players who …………..2…………… (become) famous, who live on in the memories of cricket’s public, are those who …………….3……… (play) for their country.
Answer:
1. is dominated
2. become
3. have played

Change the voice:

(1) The belli was bowled underarm along the ground.
(2) The Parsis founded the first Indian cricket club.
(3) Parsi clubs were funded and sponsored by Parsi businessmen.
(4) A Parsi team beat the Bombay Gymkhana at cricket in 1889.
(5) The first test was played between England and Australia.
Answer:
(1) They bowled the ball underarm along the ground.
(2) The first Indian cricket club was founded by the Parsis.
(3) Parsi businessmen funded and spon¬sored the Parsi club.
(4) The Bombay Gymkhana was beaten by a Parsi team at cricket in 1889.
(5) They played the first test between England and Australia.

Rewrite as directed:

(1) Cricket was the earliest modern team sport to be codified.
(Change the Degree.)
(2) Cricket’s most important tools are all made of natural, preindustrial materials.
(Use ‘nothing but’.)
(3) C. K. Nayudu’s place in India’s cricket history is assured because he was the country’s first Test captain.
(Use ‘so’.)
(4 ) The first written ‘Laws of Cricket’ were drawn up in 1744.
(Turn into Negative.)
(5) During the 1760s and 1770s it became common to pitch the ball through the air rather than roll it along the ground.
(Use ‘instead of’.)
Answer:
(1) Cricket was earlier than any other modern team sport to be codified.
OR
No other modern team sport was to be codified so early as cricket.
(2) Cricket’s most important tools are made of nothing but natural, preindustrial materials.
(3) C. K. Nayudu was the country’s first Test captain so his place in India’s cricket history is assured.
(4) The first written ‘Laws of Cricket’ were drawn up not before 1744.
(5) During the 1760s and 1770s it became common to pitch the ball through the air instead of rolling it along the ground.

GSEB Solutions Class 7 English Honeycomb Chapter 10 The Story of Cricket

The Story of Cricket Summary in English

The Story of Cricket Summary:
Cricket grew out of many stick-and-ball games played in England 500 years ago, under a variety of different rules. The word ‘bat’ is an old English word that simply means stick or club. By the seventeenth century, cricket had evolved enough to be recognisable as a distinct game. Another curious characteristic of cricket is that the length of the pitch is specified-22 yards-but the size or shape of the ground is not. Grounds can be oval like the Adelaide Oval or nearly circular, like Chepauk in Chennai.

The first written ‘Law of Cricket’ were drawn up in 1744. The stumps must be 22 inches high and the bail across them 6 inches. The ball must be between 5 and 6 ounces, and the two sets of stumps 22 yards apart. The weight of the ball was limited to between 5\(\frac {1}{2}\) to 5\(\frac {3}{2}\) ounces, and the width of the bat to 4 inches. In 1774, the first leg- before law was published. The origins of Indian cricket are to be found in Bombay and the Indian community to start playing the game was the small community of Zoroastrians, the Parsis. The Parsis founded the first Indian cricket club, the Oriental Cricket Club, in Bombay in 1848.

Modern cricket is dominated by Tests and One-day internationals, played between national teams. C. K. Nayudu was India’s first Test Captain. This gave him a place in the collective memory, but some outstanding players like Palwankar Vithal and Palwankar Baloo have been forgotten. Sir Donald Bradman is considered the best ever batsman in the history of cricket. India entered the world of Test cricket in 1932, a decade and a half before it became an independent nation.

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