A game very similar to the traditional cricket hard ball (Dues Ball) had been in existence in India and played since many years. Even much earlier than the game traditional hard ball cricket started, though there is no written evidence to this is available. But one fact has certainly come to the fore that the budding hard ball cricket players do play the Tennis Ball Cricket during their initial years and once acquainted with; they switch over to the hard ball cricket and even after switching over to the hard ball cricket, they do not abandon the Tennis Ball Cricket entirely, but keep themselves involved with the Tennis Ball Cricked as this game requires high degree of agility and physical fitness. Hard ball cricket is prevalent in urban areas only but Tennis Ball Cricket is being played in urban and rural areas as well. For hard ball cricket, it requires a good ground of appropriate facilities, like pitch boundary line etc. but for Tennis Ball Cricket even a road, a park or a by lane is enough which fulfills ambition of players and its fans too. Only due to these reasons one can see while in voyage in train from Guwahti to Kutch and from Jammu/Katra to Kaniya Kumari boys and girls playing Tennis Ball Cricket in paddy fields to the by lanes of big cities. Once the Calcutta maidan, humming with football matches are now converted into Tennis Ball Cricket. Flood lit matches are now prevalent in urban areas of the country. Under the said circumstances, it can be solemnly certified that Tennis Ball Cricket is the leading game of the country.
There are some organizations who organize the right from National level to Block/Panchayat level but prime motto and objective of the organizers is only to look after their own interest and their every act on the name of game is content with this nefarious objective only. They never bother for the development and welfare of Tennis Ball Cricket and its players. As a result, despite the extra ordinary performance at National and International level, the players never got any position, reputation and eminence and were left in oblivion. Though the game is enlisted with DOPT, but none of the players got any weightage in any kind of recruitment. This was very saddening and disheartening. To the utter disappointment to the players, Hon. Ahmedabad High Court in one of its judgment opined that Tennis Ball Cricket is a “Gully Cricket” and the players do not deserve any priority in Govt. recruitment.
On being severely heartbroken and disappointed at the sorry state of the several organization involved with the Tennis Ball Cricket game, some young players decided to take the cudgel. A decision was taken to form one National level Tennis Ball Cricket Body fully dedicated to the development and welfare of the game and players in a selfless manner and with continuous zeal and effort, bring the Tennis Ball Cricket at par with hard Ball (dues Ball) cricket and to ensure same degree of importance and reputation at par with hard ball cricket players. Driven with the said idea and motto, the young players, took some experienced players/people with them and formed an organization with the name and title “TENNIS BALL CRICKET ASSOCIATION OF INDIA” (or TBCAI). The body got registered in the year 2020 under the society act.
