Cricket is wildly popular in the UK and Australia, but did you know this sport also sparked a craze in India? It seems to be played in every corner of the country, surpassing football, baseball, and wrestling in popularity.

The international cricket fan community and professionals may still look down on Indian athletes, but this is hardly fair.

Even the ICC has recently sparked criticism when it wrote “The greatest cricketer of all time and – Sachin Tendulkar” as a quote for an image of English celebrity player Ben Stokes receiving a memento from Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Twitter is often filled with similar spiteful comments about cricket, as Stumped app says, however, if you consider the following facts, you will see the unfair nature of such treatment.

Here are five amazing facts about Indian cricket that may surprise you.

Fact 1. India has 90 percent of all cricket fans.
This sounds astounding and implausible, but it is true. The number of fans worldwide has reached one billion, and Indians account for the vast majority. The sub-continent is addicted to cricket, according to market studies conducted by the ICC.

What are the reasons for such popularity? First of all, cricket is understandable and easily affordable for everyone. It does not cost much to play it. Basically, all you need is a ball and a bat. Interestingly, the majority of young players begin the practice by playing gully cricket in their local area. This variation is played with a taped or tennis ball, unlike the leather ball in the big game.

Another major reason is the appearance of excellent Indian batsmen. Such cricketers as Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Anil Kumble, are in the spotlight of the cricket media in the country. Sachin Tendulkar is even referred to as the national God of Cricket.

Naturally, aspiring cricketer often perceives these players as their role models and sources of inspiration. Their achievements are amazing enough to appeal to the non-playing audience as well, and live matches keep millions of viewers glued to their screens. Indians like to argue about comparisons of famous cricketers and keep track of the stats.

Fact 2. The Indian national team has amazing World Cup results.
It won the World Cup in 20-Over, 50-Over, and 60-Over as well. This means India is still the only country that has ever managed to make this achievement. In terms of 60-Over, the only other team that has ever won is from the West Indies.

Previously, their cricketers emerged victorious from the 2012 World T20 in Sri Lanka, but they have not secured a 50-Over World Cup winning the title yet. The major international tournaments have caused the surge of popularity and elevation of team members to celebrity status.

Fact 3. IPL is the most popular T20 league in the world.
Following victories won by Indian cricketers in T20, the Indian Premier League emerged thanks to the BCCI’s efforts. Currently, it has the biggest number of fans on the planet. Indians are attracted to the blend of sports and entertainment.

IPL is only getting more popular, and even Bollywood celebrities put off film releases fearing insufficient attention to their works in the light of the IPL playing. The trend has helped to take the game to smaller centers in the country, like Ranchi or Bhubaneshwar.

Fact 4. BCC is incredibly powerful.
Simply put, this Indian organization is the most powerful and richest cricket board of all. It functions independently of Government funding and can influence the ICC in their decisions. This was obvious in the situation with possible DRS deployment.

Even the ICC headquarters are now in Dubai. The move away from London reflects the importance of BCCI as an economic force in the cricket world. BCCI cooperates with big brands for sponsorship, providing financial support to different tournaments in the country. The country has turned into a large cricket base. Currently, the ICC has Shashank Manohar as chairman. Previously, he was President of BCCI.

Fact 5. Indian fans love Batsmen more than Bowlers.
This observation has always been true but is particularly noticeable now. Batsmen become national heroes, while bowlers get little credit. The biggest name in Indian batting is Sachin Tendulkar, also known as “The Little Master”.

Over two decades, he has managed to secure the title of the highest run-scorer in history. In 2014, after his retirement, he received the highest civilian honor in India — the Bharat Ratna award — for his incredible cricket feats.

Today, the batsmen most close to Tendulkar in terms of popularity is captain Virat Kohli. In fact, he is now considered the most popular player on the planet because of all the Facebook likes and Twitter followers. As a batsman, Kohli fits the style of his famed predecessors.