A different game to try this Christmas
While the world associates India with the game of cricket, there is a much lesser known game that originated in this ancient land which many believe to be the hybrid between cricket and baseball.
Unfortunately the game is a dying breed and is played in the very rural areas of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and some other countries.
Coming to how the game is actually played, it needs two pieces of equipment. The first is a piece of wood which should ideally be about 18 inches long, called a ‘Danda’.
The second piece of equipment is a smaller piece of wood, ideally one-third the size of the ‘danda’ and oval in shape. And as you might have guessed, the smaller piece of wood is called ‘Gilli.’
The game can be played with as many players as one wants provided that it’s an even number. The reason why there are no fixed number of players in the game is because the field does not have fixed dimensions, so the number of players depends on the dimensions of the field set by the players.
The ‘Gilli’ is placed on top of a stone at an angle — like a see-saw — within a small circle. The striker hits the ‘Gilli’ with the ‘Danda’ at the raised end, which flips the ‘Gilli’ into the air.
While that is airborne, the player hits the ‘Gilli’ with the ‘Danda’ as hard as possible. If the ‘Gilli’ is caught by one of the opposing players, then the player is out, similar to both baseball and cricket.
If the ‘Gilli’ touches the ground, the fielders need to retrieve the ‘Gilli’ and hit the ‘Danda,’ which is placed on the stone as the striker is supposed to touch a pre-agreed point anywhere within the dimensions.
If the fielding team hits the ‘Danda’ on the stone, then the striker is out, which is similar to a run-out in cricket. And if the striker is able to touch the pre-agreed point and return to the circle, he is given one point and the game continues.
The most striking similarity to baseball is that if the striker is unable to strike the ‘Gilli’ three times on the trot, then he is out.
Since all it requires are two pieces of wood and no amount of fixed players and there are no fixed dimensions for the ground, why not go out to the nearest green patch with the lads and give it a try?
Featured photograph/McKay Savage/Flickr
