In India, cricket is much more than a sport; it is also a political tool, a lucrative industry, a source of prestige, and among India’s most powerful levers for exerting global influence. None of this is lost on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he prepares to seek re-election next year.
NEW DELHI – Tell anyone outside the British Commonwealth that a couple billion people are currently ridden by World Cup fever, and you are likely to be met with a puzzled stare. For most of the world, the World Cup is a football (soccer) tournament that took place in Qatar last year and will not occur again until 2026 in North America. But for the rest of us – most notably, the nearly two billion people of the Indian subcontinent – the men’s cricket World Cup taking place in India right now is what really matters.
NEW DELHI – Tell anyone outside the British Commonwealth that a couple billion people are currently ridden by World Cup fever, and you are likely to be met with a puzzled stare. For most of the world, the World Cup is a football (soccer) tournament that took place in Qatar last year and will not occur again until 2026 in North America. But for the rest of us – most notably, the nearly two billion people of the Indian subcontinent – the men’s cricket World Cup taking place in India right now is what really matters.