Kapil Dev lifts the World Cup in 1983

Social scientist Ram Guha considers cricket a status symbol which was first adopted by the Parsee traders who wanted to meet the British elite at a social level during the nineteenth century.

Slowly the entire subcontinent joined the party.

"Cricket was one of urban India's status symbols which of late has swamped all other sports in the country," Guha says.

"The game's appeal lies in the leisurely pace which encourages social interaction and collective participation.

"The space between deliveries suited the desire to interact socially and chatter during the interruption in action, unlike other sports."

Cricket and the English language are considered two major legacies of the British era and the binding forces in a vast nation with diverse cultures.

Huge following

"Cricket is by far the biggest British legacy," says Mukherjee.

"Merely four per cent of the Indian population speaks English, whereas a much larger number of people in this country play or follow cricket."

The game's biggest contribution, says Guha, is transcending the social barrier between genders as well as rural and urban India.

Polly Umrigar, a former Indian captain, says the game enjoyed enormous popularity even in the days when Indian cricket was still gaining maturity.

"There wasn't much money in the game and the glamour now associated with cricket and the players could not even be imagined, but people still flocked to the stadium to watch star players," he says.

"Cricket developed gradually and the visits by the Commonwealth teams helped popularise the game after independence."

Bishan Bedi, a legend in Indian cricket

India's graduation period, which began with the debut Test at Lord's in 1932, came to an end when they beat England at home two decades later to square the rubber 1-1.

The Indians had earlier tasted Test success in the maiden series against New Zealand in 1955-56 which they won 2-0.

Nari Contractor, who several years later had his skull fractured by ducking into a short-pitched ball during a tour of the West Indies, became a national hero when he led India to a 2-0 rubber triumph over England in 1961-62 to set of celebrations round the country.

The big league

"Beating the English was a national triumph," says Mukherjee.

"The rubber triumph under Nari Contractor marked India's arrival in the big league."

"That was heady stuff," says Umrigar, who was one of the mainstays of the Indian middle order and hit three centuries against England between 1951 and 1962.

But success-starved cricket fans frequently saw the Indian team wither away from commanding positions.

That was until the early 70s whena four-pronged Indian spin attack comprising Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan made the best batsmen dance to their tunes.

Vital phase

India claimed their first series victories in the West Indies and England.

"The vital phase in Indian cricket began in 1971," said Baig, who scored a century on Test debut against England in 1959 when the injury-hit touring side had to summon the Oxford University freshman to bolster its batting.

"The rubber victories in West Indies and England placed India among the top-notch Test nations.

"Until then the Indian teams were psychologically not prepared to take on the leading Test-playing nations.

Curry touch

Over the years the game has been given the Indian curry touch, introducing flexibility in approach, a surfeit of wristy strokes and dazzling spinners who can create magic.

"Indian cricket has added a spicy dimension through the innovative and unorthodox approach," said Baig.

"Indians were not given as much to pure technique as the Englishmen, who introduced them to the game."

Players of the standard of Kapil Dev, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar have emerged in the last 20 years.

And India's cricket-mad fans eagerly await who will replace them as their heroes in the next 20 years.