Baker Street to Bollywood

Ah, cricket — it’s in our veins, our hearts, and sometimes even our novels. We don’t just play the game; we revere it, and on occasion, we let it spark a little creativity. Case in point, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Picture this: A man so taken by cricket and the art of observation that he dreams up a detective who’s not just sharp, but a high-functioning sociopath solving mysteries from Baker Street to beyond. If you’re thinking about Sherlock Holmes, then your guess would be spot on. The brilliant detective who plays the violin, loves disguises, and outsmarts everyone, even the best at Scotland Yard. With a magnifying glass in one hand and a pipe in the other, he makes solving mysteries like drinking a cuppa tea. But when he’s not busy cracking cases, cricket might be one of the few things that can hold his interest.

Now, while Doyle’s keen eye for detail was honed by his mentor, Dr. Joseph Bell, at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, it was his time on the cricket field that gave Sherlock Holmes his name. Doyle was a regular at the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), rubbing shoulders with some notable players. Among them were Mordecai Sherwin, a wicketkeeper, and Frank Shacklock, a fast bowler. Combine “Sherwin” and “Shacklock,” and voilà — you’ve got “Sherlock.” So, while Holmes’s mind might be all Bell, his name is pure cricket. It’s a reminder that even the most iconic characters can trace their origins back to something as quintessentially British as a good game of cricket.

We’ve seen ‘Sherlock Holmes’ across every medium imaginable — books, plays, audiobooks, TV, and film. But let’s rewind a bit. The very first film adaptation was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it silent short, ‘Sherlock Holmes Baffled’, from 1900. Clocking in at a grand total of 30 seconds (yes, 30 seconds), it showed Holmes confronting a thief — a quirky novelty that marked his big screen debut. Fast forward to 1951, when Holmes made his TV debut in a U S-produced series, with Alan Wheatley as Holmes and Raymond Francis as Watson. This half-hour show on the BBC might not top today’s charts, but it was the first to bring our favourite detective to television.

Now, cut to more recent times — because, apparently, the world just can’t get enough of Sherlock Holmes. Moviegoers were thrilled when Robert Downey Jr (yes, that Iron Man) took on the role of the iconic detective not once, but twice, in Guy Ritchie’s high-octane ‘Sherlock Holmes’ films. With Hans Zimmer delivering the musical score and Downey Jr bringing his signature charm, this action-packed series had everyone buzzing — and did quite nicely at the box office too. This version of Holmes isn’t just brainy — he’s brawny too, dishing out beatings as easily as he cracks cases. Around the same time, we got another Holmes, this one from Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who). They brought us a modern, sharp-witted adaptation for the BBC and PBS. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) as the sleuth and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) as Dr Watson, with Andrew Scott (Ripley) as the fiendish Moriarty, this version tossed Holmes into the 21st century — smartphone, blog, and all. Remember all those “You’ve been Sherlocked” tees flooding Brigade Road and Church Street? Yep, one can thank this show for that. Meanwhile, ‘Elementary’, the clever American twist on the classic, had Jonny Lee Miller’s Holmes swapping the foggy streets of London for the bustling heart of New York City, with Lucy Liu’s Joan Watson by his side — proving once again that the detective’s brilliance knows no borders. With only three episodes per season, each a 90-minute movie, it was a concise but thoroughly captivating take on the classic detective.

From Britain to the British Raj, meet Byomkesh Bakshi, the brainchild of Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. This razor-sharp detective first hit the shelves in 1932 and quickly cemented his status as a literary legend. Fast forward to 1993, and Doordarshan brought Byomkesh to our TV screens, with Rajit Kapur absolutely nailing the role of the Bengali sleuth. Jump ahead to more recent times, as Hollywood was busy reimagining Sherlock Holmes, Bollywood brought us its own version. The late Sushant Singh Rajput (M S Dhoni: The Untold Story) donned the iconic detective’s hat, with Anand Tiwari (Go Goa Gone) as the Watson-esque Ajit Banerjee and Neeraj Kabi (Paatal Lok) as the Moriarty-inspired Dr Anukul Guha. Directed by Dibakar Banerjee, this adaptation earned high praise but didn’t quite hit the box office jackpot. Now, picture Sherlock Holmes in the vibrant chaos of 1990s Bengal, and you’ve got ‘Shekhar Home’. This freshly minted series stars Kay Kay Menon as Shekhar Home and Ranvir Shorey as Jayvrat Saini, the Watson to his Holmes.

Indian adaptations of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ succeed because they mix brilliance, logic, and justice with a dash of local flavour — just like a perfectly crisp Masala Dosae. It’s a recipe that makes these characters resonate with Indian audiences while keeping that universal appeal of a detective who’s always one step ahead. Whether it’s Byomkesh Bakshi, Shekhar Home, or any other Holmes-inspired character, the spirit of Sherlock Holmes is alive and kicking in Indian storytelling, proving that the fascination with a brilliant mind solving the unsolvable is truly universal.

After all, with Arthur Conan Doyle’s love for cricket, it’s no surprise that his creation is like a masterful fast bowler — delivering each case with speed, precision, and an uncanny ability to outsmart the best. Whether it’s a century-old mystery or a modern-day puzzle, Holmes bowls them all over, rattling the audience every time with his unerring brilliance. Elementary, my dear reader!