In India, cricket games are part of our geographical landscape like the Ganga or the Himalayas or the Western Ghats or Kanyakumari.
Millions of games unfold across India at any time of day. Travel in any direction and you are bound to see a cricket game in progress -- be it urban gully cricket to games on dusty village grounds to roaring stadiums to famous greens that cradled cricket like Shivaji Park or Azad Maidan.
And when big matches are in progress there is that particularly Hindustani sound that will float into your ears -- the game noises that come from the synchronised watching of televised finals in every home and entire neighbourhoods whooping in reaction to a sixer or groaning in despair when a wicket falls.
Cricket threads its way into daily routines and even our culture and identity and the pictorial story Hemantkumar Shivsharan/Rediff puts together is evidence.
Watch how cricket is played in India...
Street cricket starts early, early early
And bats, wickets or a grassy pitch are not needed. Nor the right cricket ball.
Kids may grab rags for wickets, a ball made of tape and cloth and play between parked cars or down narrow alleys. The improvisation is part of the charm. No expensive gear required. Just enthusiasm.
Not Just Another Brick In The Wall But A Wicket
Young players take to the street in Varanasi. The brick wall becomes a wicket and the neighbourhood lane transforms into a cricket pitch.
The Spirit Of Gully Cricket
It isn't hard to imagine the sounds and shouts of 'Howzaaat!!!'...
Anything Can Be A Wicket
A vibrant slice of Indian life: Blue skies, bat, ball and a bunch of enthu boys
Youngsters turn everyday objects into wickets. Have a tyre and you got a game of cricket.
Jugaad Cricket
No dearth of wickets or imagination.
One Last Over
'Just one more over!' they say, as the sun dips low and the shouts beckoning them home grow louder. But the game stretches on, because for these players the match isn't measured in overs but in joy.
When the Nation Pauses
Eyes glued to the telly... At every ball, every run, collective breaths are held. Across India, families pause chores, shops slow down and conversations fade.
Cricket in the Valley
The wicket might be just a log of wood. But, boy, look at the beauty of the pitch.
Two Symbols Of Love
Cricket meets the Taj as a friendly match unfolds in the shadow of India's most iconic monument.
Dreams Begin At the Nets
A coaching class is where it all begins.
Cricket Lives and Breathes Across India
No bat, no wickets and just a plastic ball but a game can still happen on golden sands where surf meets the sport, even as the tide is rising. Nothing can match their barefoot joy.
World Cup Queens
From the nets to the world stage, India's girls now rule the crease. Can this bunch of girls become World Cup 2029 Champions?
Trophies, Signatures, Glory
Blades of Glory Cricket Museum, Pune, documents our illustrious cricket story.
Sari Games
Bat in hand, the chief guest inaugurates the pitch.
India's Sea Of Blue
An OG Indian experience is being at a stadium for an international match when India is playing. OMG.
There is nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. It's the best way to understand our Cricket Fever.
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