Gully Sports
CRICKET
Cricket was introduced to the Indian subcontinent by the British in the 18th century,[10] and the first cricket club was established in 1792. India’s men’s national cricket team played its first international match on 25 June 1932 in a Lord’s Test against England becoming the sixth team to be granted Test cricket status. India had to wait until 1952, approximately twenty years to its first Test victory. In its first fifty years of international cricket, success was limited, with only 35 wins in 196 Tests.[11] The team, however, gained strength in the 1970s with the emergence of the Indian spin quartet, and players like Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, and Kapil Dev. In men’s limited-overs cricket, India made its ODI debut against England in 1974 and T20I debut against South Africa in 2006.
Master Blaster’, ‘Little Master’, ‘The God of Cricket’, ‘The World’s Best Athlete’ — these are the titles bestowed upon one of India’s most revered personalities: Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. His is a name that all Indians, and a many people the world over, know and worship. Every time this legend took the crease, the country would reverberate with the chants of ‘Sachin, Sachin!’. All differences and squabbles between a billion people were forgotten for the sheer pleasure of watching this genius decimate the best bowlers on the planet with an inimitable grace. He united over a billion belligerent people in a way that no one and nothing ever has, and probably never will. It is no secret that cricket is a religion in India, and Sachin Tendulkar its most exalted God.
KABADDI
Kabaddi is basically a combative sport, with seven players on each side; played for a period of 40 minutes with a 5 minutes break (20-5-20). The core idea of the game is to score points by raiding into the opponent’s court and touching as many defense players as possible without getting caught on a single breath.
One player, chanting Kabaddi!!! Kabaddi!!!! Kabaddi!!!! Charges into the opponent court and try to touch the opponent closest to him, while the seven opponents make maneuvers to catch the attacker. This is Kabaddi, the match of one against seven, known as the game of struggle.
The players on the defensive side are called “Antis” while the player of the offence is called the “Raider”. The attack in Kabaddi is known as a ‘Raid’. The antis touched by the raider during the attack are declared ‘out’ if they do not succeed in catching the raider before he returns to home court. These players can resume play only when their side scores points against the opposite side during their raiding turn or if the remaining players succeed in catching the opponent’s raider.
Anup Kumar is termed as the “God of Kabaddi.” His greatest achievement was captaining the Indian national team to gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. Anup spent 6 years playing for Mumba and Jaipur before announcing his retirement from kabaddi.
VOLLEYBALL
Though it was informally played for a long time, the first interstate volleyball championships were held by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in 1936 in pre-independent India.
The sport gained proper structure with the formation of the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) in 1951, and the erstwhile interstate tournament evolved into the Senior National Championships, with the first edition held in 1952.
It helped the nation discover several talents who went on to play with great distinction for the Indian volleyball team. Jimmy George was an Indian volleyball player and captain of the India national volleyball team. Often dubbed the God of Indian volleyball, he is considered as one of the greatest volleyball players of all time. Jimmy played for India’s national volleyball team in the Asian Games in Tehran (1974), Bangkok (1978) and in Seoul (1986) where India won the bronze medal. He was captain of the Indian team that played at Saudi Arabia in 1985, and led the Indian team to victory in India Gold Cup International Volleyball Tournament at Hyderabad in 1986.
FOOTBALL
The history of football in India is a long and detailed one, as it was the national sport at one time. The impetus for this was to unify the Indian Army. There is evidence of football games being played in the army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world,[1] and the world’s third oldest competition, the Durand Cup. There was a time when football in India was highly celebrated.[2] The Indian football outfit was called the “Brazilians of Asia”
Football was introduced to India by British soldiers in the mid-nineteenth century. It spread because of the efforts of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari. In 1888 the Durand Cup was founded by then India’s Foreign Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Shimla, India. The Durand Cup is the third oldest football competition behind the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. It was initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. Royal Scots Fusiliers won the first edition of the cup by beating Highland Light Infantry 2–1 in the final. In 1893, the IFA Shield was founded as the fourth oldest trophy in the world. Calcutta, then capital of British India, soon became the hub of Indian football. Sarada FC was the oldest Indian football club.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a football legend that has managed to conquer the world of soccer and fashion as well. He was born in Portugal. He grew up in his hometown called Madeira and when he was twelve he moved to Lisbon. He always had a passion over football since his childhood.
YOGA
Yoga essentially originated in the subcontinent of India. It has been around since ancient times and was performed by yogis. The term yoga has been derived from a Sanskrit word which translates to basically union and discipline.
In the earlier days, the followers of Hinduism, Hinduism and Buddhism practiced it. Slowly, it found its way in Western countries. Ever since people from all over the world perform yoga to relax their minds and keep their bodies fit.
Furthermore, after this popularity of yoga, India became known for yoga worldwide. People all over the world have started to realize the benefits of yoga. Several workshops are held and now there are even professional yogis who teach this ancient practice to people so they can learn about it.
Yoga is an ancient art that connects the mind and body. It is an exercise that we perform by balancing the elements of our bodies. In addition, it helps us meditate and relax. Moreover, yoga helps us keep control of our bodies as well as mind. It is a great channel for releasing our stress and anxiety. Yoga gained popularity gradually and is now spread in all regions of the world. It unites people in harmony and peace.
