Prashant Kidambi - Cricket County

With the story of the first ‘All Indian’ cricket team to play on the fields of imperial Britain, Kidambi shows how the idea of Indian nationhood took shape on the pitch long before India gained political independence. The tour – lead by the extravagant Maharaja of Patiala- took place in Edwardian Britain during cricket’s ‘Golden Age’ against the backdrop of anti-colonial protest and revolutionary terrorism. He explains how the tour epitomised the way sport, particularly cricket, helped to fashion the imaginary communities of nations across the British Empire.