If any sport should be added to the Olympics, it is cricket. This game was originally started in England and from there it went to the subcontinent, where it has gained extreme popularity - as it has in other parts of the world like South Africa.

It should become part of the Olympic Games because of its increasing popularity, inpired by the new Twenty20 format. In the past, cricket was withdrawn from the Olympics due to the huge atime consumption of matches. In the event, the introduction of 50-over matches which was a welcome decision otherwise cricket would have seen its end.

Nowadays people don’t have time to even watch one-day or 50-over matches, so the Twenty20 format was introduced. Altogether, this format has been successful because it is full of excitement and fast, thrilling action. It faced some controversy at the start but then, after the successful Twenty20 World Cup, many people started thinking towards this format more seriously and its support started increasing.

Then the ICL and IPL Twenty20 leagues were arranged and the reaction of the crowds was superb. Matches in both leagues enjoyed full houses, with world-class players and glamorous stars of Bollywood involved, especially Shah Rukh Khan and Pretty Zinta. This was a paramount cause of the success of the leagues.

The international Olympic Committee must look to include cricket in the Olympics. It is the second most watched sport on Earth, mainly due to its popularity in the subcontinent - and talks are being held so that cricket can be inducted into the Games. The Twenty20 format can be adopted but if the time problem continues, then super sixes matches can be accommodated. They are the fastest games of cricket and can become the most popular form of the game if given the spotlight. In this format a match can be finished within an hour or an hour and a half, so there is not a single problem about time. And the matches are exciting, excellent and thrilling to watch.

Cricket must be accommodated in the Olympics - for the sake of around two billion supporters whose hearts and souls throb with every ball or shot. The popularity of the game with these people must be kept in mind as the Olympics is a global event - so it must contain every sport that people like.