In India, cricket isn’t just a sport, it is a religion. It’s played on rooftops, in alleyways, in parks, and sometimes even in the middle of a traffic-free street. For millions, cricket is less of a game and more of a shared emotion, one that unites chaiwalas and CEOs, Bollywood stars and bus drivers, and kids with plastic bats. This was apparent with the recent debate on the India Pakistan match that took place as part of the Asia Cup.
But beyond the bat and ball, beyond stadium cheers and social media frenzy, cricket is something deeper: it’s an essential thread in India’s cultural and artistic fabric.
From novels and films to paintings, music, and theatre, cricket in India is far more than a leisure activity. It’s a mirror reflecting the country’s dreams, its complexities, and its evolution and it continues to influence and be influenced by the nation’s art and soul.
Indian writers have long turned to cricket not just as a plot device, but as a powerful beacon of hope for the nation’s post-colonial identity, class struggles, and cultural transitions.
In R.K. Narayan’s short story ‘The Cricket Match’, the game subtly symbolises the tension between tradition and modernity, a recurring theme in Indian literature after independence. Cricket, here, becomes an allegory for a society negotiating its colonial past and uncertain future.
Chetan Bhagat, whose books resonate with India’s youth, often features cricket in his narratives. In ‘Five Point Someone’, the sport acts as a symbol of rebellion and self-expression, woven into the pressures of academic life and the desire to break free from societal expectations.
Then there’s Aravind Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger’, where cricket underscores the stark class divide. The protagonist, Balram, watches the game from the outside both literally and metaphorically using cricket as a lens to comment on celebrity culture and social inequality.
Indian cinema’s love affair with cricket is long-standing and deep-rooted as are the many weddings between Bollywood stars and cricketers. Films have often used the game as a symbol for resistance, unity, and aspiration.
The most iconic example is ‘Lagaan’ (2001), directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. Set in colonial India, the film follows villagers who challenge British officers to a cricket match in a bid to escape unjust taxes. It’s a story of underdogs, patriotism, and the power of belief told through the rhythm of cricket.
Another gem, an underrated film, ‘Iqbal’ (2005), tells the inspiring tale of a deaf and mute boy from a poor village who dreams of playing for India. The film celebrates cricket as a tool of empowerment, hope, and personal triumph, a narrative that resonates across social divides.
On the flip side, modern series like ‘Inside Edge’ peel back the glossy veneer of cricket to reveal a world of politics, money, and power. These stories highlight how the commercialisation of cricket mirrors broader cultural and ethical debates in contemporary India.
But cricket isn’t just seen, it's sung.
Music has always accompanied India’s cricketing highs and lows. During the 2011 ICC World Cup, the anthem ‘De Ghuma Ke’ became the soundtrack to the nation’s triumph, capturing the jubilation of a billion hearts.
The ‘Mauka Mauka’ ad campaign from the 2015 World Cup, initially created as a commercial jingle, quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Humorous, catchy, and sharply competitive, it tapped into the playful yet fierce spirit of Indian cricket fandom.
Visual artists, too, have turned to cricket as a subject of exploration. And none did it with more flair or fervour than M.F. Husain, India’s celebrated modernist. For Husain, cricket was not just sport; it was movement, mythology, and mania the perfect storm for his expressive brushwork. Captivated by Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary presence, Husain created a series of paintings that didn’t just depict the cricketer they deified him. His canvases exploded with motion: bats became swords, runs turned to rituals, and Tendulkar stood not just as a player, but as a national myth in motion.
Unlike traditional sports portraiture, Husain wasn’t interested in precision. He painted the energy of the game, the raw, unfiltered passion of a billion fans, the poetry of a cover drive, the chaos of a last-ball finish. For Husain, cricket was rhythm, rebellion, and a reflection of the times.
As he once said, ‘Cricket is like poetry in motion’. And in his hands, it truly became art.
Contemporary artist Sudarshan Shetty offers a contrasting view. His work treats cricket as a symbol of commercialization, a metaphor for modern India’s complex relationship with spectacle, industry, and identity. In Shetty’s installations, the game becomes an object, critiqued rather than celebrated as a reminder of how even play can be packaged and sold.
From street graffiti to gallery walls, cricket continues to inspire Indian artists to probe questions of power, pride, and possibility.
Theatre in India has also embraced cricket, often using it to dramatize deeper social themes.
In plays like ‘The Final Over’, the game becomes a backdrop for exploring the emotional and psychological toll on players, as well as the broader implications of national pride, rivalry, and expectation.
Regional theatre productions frequently weave cricket into their narratives to address issues like class disparity, generational conflict, and youthful ambition. Much like the protagonist in Iqbal, these stories showcase how cricket acts as a beacon of hope especially in places where dreams often remain just that.
In a country as diverse and complex as India, cricket is one of the few forces that transcends barriers of language, caste, region, and religion. It’s the glue that binds a billion people whether they are crowded around a TV screen, streaming matches on mobile phones, or tuning in on a transistor in a remote village.
And in recent years, the rise of women’s cricket has added a new chapter to this story. Players like Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana are inspiring a new generation of young girls, proving that cricket in India is no longer just a gentleman’s game.
Cricket is the story of a nation finding pride in a World Cup win. The story of a boy who dreams of playing for India with nothing but a rubber ball and a battered bat. The story of artists and filmmakers using the game to explore who we are and where we’re going. United filled with aspiration and a fire in the belly or a slave to commercialisation and politicisation?