<P> This article describes the history of cricket in India to 1918 . </P> <P> The entire history of cricket in India and the sub-continent as a whole is based on the existence and development of the British Raj via the East India Company . </P> <P> On 31 December 1600, Queen Elizabeth I granted a Royal Charter to the (EIC) East India Company, often colloquially referred to as "John Company". It was initially a joint - stock company that sought trading privileges in India and the East Indies, but the Royal Charter effectively gave it a 21 - year monopoly on all trade in the region . In time, the East India Company transformed from a commercial trading venture to one which virtually ruled India as it acquired auxiliary governmental and military functions, until its dissolution in 1858 following the Indian Mutiny . The East India Company was the means by which cricket was introduced into India . </P> <P> In 1639, the Company effectively founded the city of Madras, and in 1661 acquired Portuguese territory on the west coast of India that included Bombay . In 1690, an Anglo - Mughal treaty allowed English merchants to establish a trading settlement on the Hooghly River, which became Calcutta . All of these places became leading centres of cricket as the popularity of the game grew among the native population . </P>

Who initiated the game of cricket among india and how