Resources required
1.Gilli, a 3-6 inches long stick, 1 inch diameter at the center and tapered at both ends.
2.Danda, a 2-3 feet long stick, 1 inch in diameter.
Number of players
Unlike modern games, any number of players or teams can play this game. That’s precisely the difference between most western and local games. We play unconstrained, unleashed. However, it is preferred that you have only two teams to avoid brawls and unnecessary fights.
Steps
1.Divide the crowd of kids into two teams. Unlike Indian cricket team, let the 2 most elder guys become captains.
2.Toss a coin (or a leaf or a pan masala packet). The team which wins the toss can select batting or fielding, but not both.
3.Make a circle with a hole in the center, where the batsman will bat.
4.The first player of the batting team will use the danda to bat, while the fielding team is spread in the ground to field. Unlike cricket, there is no bowler in this game to get humiliated by a brutal batsman.
5.The batsman hits the gilli at one of the tapered ends with his danda, and quickly strikes it. The gilli becomes airborne if it is struck.
6.If the batsman strikes the gilli, which no fielder is able to catch, then the danda is used to measure the distance from the center circle to the point where gilli fell. Each danda length adds one point to the batting team. Repeat step 5.
7.If the batsman is unable to strike the gilli in 3 continuous chances, the batsman is out. This is similar to a strikeout in Baseball. Go to step 9.
8.If the batsman strikes the gilli and a fielder catches it before it touches the ground, the batsman is out. Go to step 9.
9.The next player of his team comes to bat.
10.Repeat the above steps untill all players of the batting team are out.Calculate their total points.
11.Now the fielding team bats and the batting team fields. Repeat all above steps of the new batting team.
The team with maximum score wins the match.
Gilli-Danda
Gilli-Danda is an amateur sport played in the rural areas and small towns all over Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as Cambodia, Turkey and Italy. The game is played with two sticks: a large one called a danda, which is used to hit a smaller one, the gilli.
Gilli Danda is an ancient sport of India, possibly with origins over 2500 years ago. It is believed to be the origin of Western games such as cricket, baseball and softball.
Rules
Gilli Danda is played with two pieces of equipment – a danda, being a long wooden stick, and a gilli, a small oval-shaped piece of wood.
Standing in a small circle, the player balances the gilli on a stone in an inclined manner (somewhat like a see-saw) with one end of the gilli touching the ground while the other end is in the air. The player then uses the danda to hit the gilli at the raised end, which flips it into the air. While it is in the air, the player strikes the gilli, hitting it as far as possible. Having struck the gilli, the player is required to run and touch a pre-agreed point outside the circle before the gilli is retrieved by an opponent. There are no specific dimensions of gilli danda and it does not have limited number of players.
The gilli becomes airborne after it is struck. If a fielder from the opposing team catches the gilli, the striker is out. If the gilli lands on the ground, the fielder closest to the gilli has one chance to hit the danda (which has to be placed on top of the circle used) with a throw (similar to a run out in cricket). If the fielder is successful, the striker is out; if not, the striker scores one point and gets another opportunity to strike. The team (or individual) with the most points wins the game. If the striker fails to hit the gilli in three tries, the striker is out (similar to a strikeout in baseball). After the gilli has been struck, the opposing players need to return to the circle or, in the best case, catch it in mid-air without its hitting the ground – this was believed to have later evolved into a Catch Out in cricket and baseball.