Who is the Father of Cricket?

Before W.G. Grace started playing in the 1860s, cricket was a messy, disorganized, and strictly amateur village game in England. Batters simply swung the bat blindly like a baseball club. W.G. Grace was the first man to treat cricket as a Science. He literally invented the concept of modern batting. He developed footwork, playing both off the front foot and back foot, and invented proper defensive strokes. Because of his massive frame and enormous black beard, he became the first true 'Superstar' athlete in history, transforming cricket from a village pastime into a highly organized, professional global sport.

While Grace created the foundation, the Australian legend Sir Donald Bradman is universally considered the greatest batsman to ever live. His mind-blowing Test batting average of 99.94 is a statistical anomaly that no athlete in any sport has ever come close to matching.

In India and across the modern cricket world, Sachin Tendulkar is reverently referred to as the 'God of Cricket'. His sheer longevity (playing 24 years), scoring 100 international centuries, and carrying the emotional hopes of a billion Indians earned him this ultimate mythical title.

If you ask who the Father of Indian Cricket is, the title goes to KS Ranjitsinhji (after whom the famous Ranji Trophy is named). Though he played for England, he was the first Indian to achieve global cricketing superstardom and invented the highly elegant 'Leg Glance' shot.