Gilli Danda, Indian Traditional Sport
Gilli Danda is a Traditional Sport in which there is use of bat and ball. The danda acts as the bat and is used to hit the gilli or the ball.
Cricket or Baseball played with sticks instead of bats or balls, is exactly the structure of Gilli Danda. Gilli Danda is played with two wooden sticks – a gilli and a danda. The gilli is about three inches long and tapered at the ends. The danda, about 2 feet long, is used to strike the gilli. The gilli is placed across a small oval-shaped hole in the centre of a small circle about four feet in diameter, is drawn on the ground. Two teams or two individuals as opponents against each other, play this game. However, Gilli Danda can be played individually too, without teams.
In this game, the striker tries to hit the gilli with the danda two times, once to lift it off the ground and then to hit it as far as possible. If he hits the gilli, the fielding team tries to catch the gilli before it touches the ground. If they succeed, the striker is out and the next player comes in to bat. If the fielders cannot catch the gilli, the distance between the central hole and the place where the gilli falls is measured with the danda. Each length of the danda counts for one score. After the score is recorded, the danda is placed over the central hole. The fielder, who was standing closest to the point where the gilli had fallen, tries to hit the danda with the gilli from where the gilli had fallen. If the gilli hits the danda or falls in the circle, the striker is out. If not, the striker gets another chance to hit the gilli. Each striker gets a maximum of three chances. The game continues till all the players have had their turn at striking. The team with the higher score wins.
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