It's been non-stop nine weeks since cricket has been dominating the country's entertainment space with the start of the World Cup on February 19. It will last another five weeks till the end of the India . Premier League on May 8.

So far, there's no sign of fatigue. So, how is cricket affecting Indian consumers? Or, how are Indians shaping cricket? There can be many theories and arguments. An interesting new starting point could be a book, 'How Soccer Explains the World', written by Franklin Foer, a New York journalist.

The book, which the author calls an "Unlikely Theory of Globalisation" takes the reader through the contours of club football across continents and shows how each country has its own football culture and how studying football can help us understand the socio-cultural dynamics of a society.

So if football can explain the world, can cricket explain India? Indians were always big on cricket but the tipping point that led to the total dominance of cricket at the cost of all other games can perhaps be traced back to the 1983 World Cup victory at Lord's.

Interestingly, the game has undergone many changes to suit the Indian consumers. From the long five-day game, to the shorter one-day game to the even shorter 20-20 format, cricket is also trying to keep pace with the requirements and desires of millions of Indians who want quick action and quick results.

In Indian Premier League (IPL), the Indianisation of cricket has found new expression, possibly only reflected in football in some countries as Foer's book so vividly captures- the heady mixture of film personalities and sports.

Indian influence could also be traced to the mela atmosphere at cricket games and the display of numerous brands on each player, reminiscent of village haats. Add to this the huge marketing muscle of mega brands that takes the action beyond the cricket stadia to schools, colleges, malls and shopping complexes. During IPL, big budget movies are postponed and even general entertainment channels are a little cautious.

Again, the increase in cricket action this year is possibly unprecedented and can have several ramifications. One may see an increase in television consumption, from the average of 2 hours a day to possibly 2.5 hours.

The other trend that is bound to gather momentum will be the growth of multiple-television households; will they increase from single digits to low double digits in the next few weeks? There could be the increase of women viewership of cricket, a trend that has been growing with the mixture concocted by IPL, of films and cricket.

What other changes can we expect over the next decade?

Though the Indian appetite for cricket keeps growing, they are also getting more and more time starved. So will we soon see a 12 -12 game of cricket to be played like football, 45 minutes per innings?

Indian families are obsessed about the young, their education, their development, their success. It is not unusual to hear of parents wanting cricket as a career option for their children. There are just not enough opportunities to give expression to these aspirations. Will we in the next ten years see the rapid growth of under-19 form of cricket? Women power is rising in India. More women aspire to work and shape their own lives. Indian women have demonstrated that they can excel in all fields of endeavour and have also contributed handsomely to India's medal tally at the last Olympics. What next? An all-women cricket league? 20-20 WPL?

Cricket is changing and in many ways Indians are shaping the change. It is no longer what Rudyard Kipling would call a game of flannelled fools. The players are no longer flannelled and given the money each of them make, they are no fools either.