Question

​Why did the British encourage the pentangular?

Answer 1

a. The British encouraged organization of Cricket in India on the communal and racial lines as part of their divide and rule policy.
b. There was a Quadrangular tournament played by 4 teams — Europeans, Parsis, Hindus and Muslims. Later it became Pentangular when a fifth team was added namely the Rest, comprising of left overs like Indian Christians.
c. This was highly resisted by nationalist leaders who were trying to unite India against the colonial regime.
d. Mahatma Gandhi criticized the Pentangular series comprising of 5 teams as it sought to divide the communities on religious and racial lines, more so at a time when Gandhi was playing an important role through his movements to bring people together against the colonial regime.