A History of Indian Cricket is a landmark, scholarly yet highly readable account of how cricket in India evolved from a colonial pastime into a defining element of national culture and identity. Mihir Bose approaches the subject not merely as a sporting chronicle but as a social, political, and cultural history, positioning cricket as a mirror of India’s wider historical journey.
 
The book begins in the colonial era, tracing how cricket was introduced by the British and initially confined to elite clubs and institutions. Bose gives detailed attention to the Parsis, who were the first Indian community to embrace the game competitively, and to the early inter-communal matches that laid the foundations for organised Indian cricket. These chapters explore how cricket became a site of both exclusion and aspiration, reflecting the hierarchies of colonial India.
 
As the narrative progresses, Bose examines the gradual Indianisation of cricket, highlighting the emergence of regional teams, princely patronage, and the formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He shows how cricket administration, selection politics, and regional rivalries shaped the national game long before India became a Test powerhouse.
 
A major strength of the book is its treatment of cricket and nationalism. Bose connects India’s cricketing development with the independence movement and the post-1947 search for national confidence. Tours abroad, especially to England and Australia, are analysed not just in terms of results, but in terms of what they meant symbolically for a newly independent nation seeking parity with former colonial powers.
 
The latter sections focus on India’s rise on the world stage, examining key figures, landmark series, and the slow transition from underdogs to genuine contenders. Bose pays particular attention to leadership, batting traditions, spin bowling, and the tactical conservatism that long characterised Indian Test cricket. The foreword by Sunil Gavaskar adds a valuable insider’s perspective, reinforcing the book’s authority and emotional resonance.
 
Throughout its 571 pages, A History of Indian Cricket combines meticulous research with narrative flair. Bose draws on archival material, contemporary accounts, and administrative records to produce what is widely regarded as the definitive single-volume history of Indian cricket up to the late 20th century.
 
One of the earliest comprehensive histories to treat Indian cricket as a cultural and political phenomenon, not just a sporting record