Cricket, nothing less than a religion in India and the subcontinent, was introduced to the world by the English. Due to that reason only, it is mostly popular in those regions where Britishers spend most of their time. Cricket is currently ranked as the second most watched sport, just below football, but the caveat to that is the lion’s share of these numbers are due to its huge Indian audience. Now, we’ll not dig deep into its history and how it has gained such popularity because it has already been discussed in many places, and also, if you are reading this, I presume that you know enough of this sport to understand my argument. In this article, we’ll discuss the worth of cricket as a global sport; we’ll testify to its competitive level and also its inclusivity at a global level. In short, is Cricket worth your time or not?
Hence, before we begin, I would like to mention my authority while arguing for my case. Much like a billion Indians, I have also been a follower of this game since 10 years of age, and I have not just been an audience; in fact, I have also played it even professionally to some extent, so whatever I’ll be arguing here will come from the experience of familiarity with this sport for more than a decade.
Cricket is being played in three formats officially, Tests, ODIs, and T20s, so we’ll go one by one through each of them. Starting with tests, it has the privilege of being called the ‘purest form of the game’ or ‘ultimate form of the game’ that it truly is. The followers of this format are those who truly understand the depth of this sport. Test is a five-day format, which is possibly the longest time for a single game to be played in any sport. It has got its charm back after dipping for nearly two decades due to the popularity of the other shorter formats. Currently, there are a growing number of audiences who follow it regularly. The fundamental of this sport is the clash of the bat and the ball, and it is at its best in this format only; hence, it truly justifies its holiness. The great thing is, even in today’s impatient and rushing world, this form of the game still shows the courage to hold the people for five days, and it’s only because of its character-showing ability. It brings out the true character of every player on the field and tests them with it, which is so cinematic and philosophical that probably could not be put in words.
But if we talk about shortcomings of this format, there is not any specific issue as such; however, its geography is very limited, as there are very few countries that can show competitive sports in this format. The rest either don’t get the opportunity to play at that standard, and even if they get the games, they are mostly one-sided. Hence, better funding to build infrastructure and prepare for such challenges might help the associate nations who play this sport in enhancing their skills to compete better, ultimately increasing the range of this format. Overall, this format of the game can still be rated as the most valuable to this sport.
Moving to the ODIs (One-Day Internationals), it was introduced in the latter half of the twentieth century as a shorter version of the game, which concludes in a day only, unlike the Tests. Earlier, it used to be a 60-overs game for each side, but later on, it was reduced to 50. After this format was introduced, it became possible to arrange multination tournaments like World Cups, as the game can be concluded in a day. Even today, when there is a world championship in each format, the World Cup of this format is considered to be the audience’s and also the player’s top choice.
However, this format lost its charm after the introduction of T20s (Twenty-20) in the late 2000s. Most of the audience found it too slow and boring, as they had an alternative to watch, in the form of T20s, which were shorter and more entertaining due to their power-hitting nature. Currently, it’s the least watched form of this sport and has almost fallen into the endangered category to be extinct soon; the only thing keeping it alive is the four-year World Cup cycle, which is played in this format only. Nevertheless, the followers of the game who appreciate patience, perseverance, and athletic commitment still find it entertaining and a treat to watch; unfortunately, the number is low but not nil.
Finally, let’s talk about the T20s, which is currently the most watched form of the game. The motive behind the introduction of this format was to revive people losing interest in cricket due to its longevity, and to a great extent, it has been successful in restoring that excitement. As a more creative effort, every nation that has a significant number of followers of the game started their own domestic league, inviting players from abroad to participate in it much like football leagues. The domestic league of India, known as the “Indian Premier League (IPL),” has gained the most popularity in this segment, not just in the cricket fraternity but even beyond that. It’s one of the highest valued sports leagues in the world. So, we can say that the T20 has been able to sustain people’s enthusiasm for this sport, but the T20 format compromised the very fundamental of this sport, which was the competitive clash between bat and ball. The way this format is being played today, anyone can say that it has become more of a batter sport. Though, we can’t say that people don’t enjoy that, but it’s the enjoyment that can’t be sustained for long, as very soon people will start getting bored of watching flying balls but not the bails!
Recently, the T20 World Cup 2026 was played, which was played in India and also won by India. India has won two consecutive world cups in this format, 2024 and 2026, as this world cup cycle is of two years only. Apart from these, there are also the Test Championship and the Champions Trophy, which are too many multination tournaments whose value of winning has drastically reduced in people’s psyche. The reason behind it becoming a usual phenomenon is the same set of teams keep meeting in finals and semi-finals and winning these championships; hence, it doesn’t leave any serious surprising element for the audience.
Overall, Cricket still has a long journey to cover before becoming a true global sport. Cricket’s losing competitive nature and its limited number of competing nations are the two major challenges to be overcome if this sport is to keep thriving in the future, as people will very soon be fed up with high scores and one-sided dominance.
— Saurabh Srivastava