Gilli-danda is a game comparable to cricket. In this game, you must use the danda to strike the gilli repeatedly. The gilli will flip as a result, and you’ll have to hit it in the air like you’re playing cricket. The person who can hit the gilli the furthest wins. After striking the gilli, the player must sprint outside the circle and touch a predetermined location before the gilli is retrieved by an opponent. This part of the game is comparable to cricket runs or baseball home runs.
India had gilli-danda centuries before cricket or baseball were established
A similar game was being played in India more than two millennia before the games of cricket and baseball were established, and it later expanded throughout South Asia, Europe, and even England.
In its native nation, the game is known as gilli-danda, and it can still be found in many rural regions, thanks to its simple (or discovered) implements: the gilli, a 3-to-4 inch stick tapered at the ends, and the danda, a two-foot long stick that serves as a bat.
Gilli Danda Rules
Gilli-danda has several regional variations, but in its most basic form, a batsman strikes the gilli on the ground with the danda. Once the gilli is in the air, the batsman tries to strike it as far as he can with the danda. The batsman is out if one of the following three conditions is met:
- On three successive strokes, he misses the airborne gilli a fielder catches the batted gilli before it hits the ground; a fielder throws the retrieved gilli and hits the danda that the batsman placed on the ground;
- a fielder throws the retrieved gilli and hits the danda that the batsman placed on the ground;
- a fielder throws the retrieved gilli and hits the danda that the batsman placed on the ground;
The distance between where the gilli has landed and the hitting area is used to compute the score. With each length equal to one, the danda can be used for exact measuring.
International Hit
Gilli-danda may have migrated west along the Silk Road or with the Romani, who originated in the northern Indian subcontinent and travelled to Europe.
Gilli-danda is known as çelik-çomak in Turkey. The game is largely unknown among urbanites, as it is in India, but it is still popular among country inhabitants. It’s known as lippa further west in Italy, and tip-cat in England (the “cat” being the gilli).
Different Techniques for Scoring
Gilli-danda is a popular youth sport with various versions. In some variants, the number of points a striker earns is determined by how far the gilli is thrown from the striking location. The length of the danda, or in some situations, the length of the gilli, is used to calculate the distance. The number of times the gilli was hit in the air in one strike also affects the score. The total point is doubled if it goes a specific distance with two mid-air impacts.
