Cricket Dbq

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than having Pakistan fight India in war. For this reason, cricket was a way to loosen religious tension in a peaceful manner. However, it did not stop there, cricket opened the eyes of many Hindus in 1906, when a leather worker, seen as a member of a low caste in the Hindu system, was brought up to the cricket team and became the champion bowler or pitcher of the Indian team. It made people recognize that he was one of them. They wanted him on the team because of his spirit and bravery (Doc. 4) This shows that cricket changed the Hindu religion and also changed how people are looked down upon. It was a bold move for the cricket team but it proved to be worth it.

Cricket also improved the confidence of the South Asians, who were looked down upon by the British. It made them feel like they were more equal, because they could compete with the English at the highest level. Sir James Fergusson, governor of the province of Bombay, was given a petition by Indian cricket players in 1881. They asked if they could share a cricket field with the british players or have their own field because their current one was being destroyed by the English polo players and their ponies. (Doc. 1) This shows they felt confident to come up to the government and asked them to change something for them. Now, since it was written by Indians, they could be exaggerating how much damage their field has taken by the polo players. Another instance was in 1899, when Indian Prince, Ranjitsinhji was brought up to play for the British team (Doc. 2) This was a significant historical event because it showed that at least one Indian person was viewed as equal to the British, which had never happened before.the Quadrangular tournament stirred up a lot of uproar in the 1920’s. In fact, almost 20 years later, an article was still written on it, explaining that people need to stop viewing cricket as a way to solve decisions, and instead, a sport for athletes to compete and for people to have fun playing (Doc. 7) The article was written an Indian sports journal which could’ve had biased if India’s political decisions or cricket team were being questioned. This led people to enjoy the game more and focus less on the issues and at hand and it solved many problems and brought many people closer together.

While some continue to argue that cricket caused imbalance in South Asia, it is undeniable that it has benefited political, religious and social relationships within South Asia and brought tension down with the British. From 1880 to 2005, it has been a driving factor in countries like India and had led to countries in South Asia that we know today. Having another piece of evidence like a diary of a professional cricket player or something in their point of view, could have helped us understand how their lives were changed by this impactful sport.