India’s sporting highs through the decades

While we continue to live in times where baffling factors seem to negotiate, question and redefine how Indian one can get, every passing day, sports continue to be that solitary binding factor that has stood the test of tricky time. Sports in India has always been an evolving statement on identity, a conversation on diversity and an exercise in pushing the envelope and reaching for the stars. Since Independence, it has been woven into the fabric of a nation that remained undaunted in walking the excruciating extra mile to own an identity that was not compromised, threatened or shared. Outside corridors of providence, power and politics, sports continue to shape the anatomy of the country, making it a force to reckon with. Numerous kids keep dreaming big and every time a kid dreams, the world becomes a better place to live in. Following India’s golden stint at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and standing on the threshold of the 75th Independence Day, The Telegraph looks back at India’s greatest sporting achievements through the decades, etched on the pages of history of a nation that never stopped hoping.

1947- 1960

• Competing at the Olympic Games for the first time as an independent country, the Indian men’s field hockey team led by skipper Kishan Lal, won the gold medal at the 1948 Olympic Games, emphatically defeating a mighty English side 4-0 at Wembley Park.
• Overcoming numerous challenges, Khasaba Jadhav scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win an individual medal at the 1952 Olympic Games, clinching bronze in wrestling.
• 1952 marked India’s first ever victory in Test cricket, defeating England by an innings and eight runs, in Madras.

• Marked as the golden era for Indian football, India qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, but withdrew from the tournament due to contentious reasons. However, with the evolution of the sport and under the tutelage of Syed Abdul Rahim, India bagged her first laurel in the sport, a gold medal at the 1951 Asian Games, defeating Iran 1-0 on home soil. The crowning glory arrived with the 1956 Olympic Games, where Neville D’Souza became the first Asian to score a hat-trick at the Games as India finished 4th, eventually losing the bronze medal match to Bulgaria.

• The Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh, brought world recognition to the field of athletics, as he became the first Indian to win a Commonwealth gold, in 1958. Setting records through the stretch of more than two years, winning gold in 400m at the Asian Games, Milkha Singh lost out on a podium finish at the 1960 Olympics by 0.1 seconds.

1960- 1980

• With his signature style of ‘touch tennis’, India’s first tennis prodigy Ramanathan Krishnan established himself as one of the best players of the era. He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon, consecutively in 1960 and 1961.
• The Indian Football team retained the moxie of the previous decade, as they won gold at the 1962 Asian Games and finished runners-up at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.

• 1971 marked a monumental year in India’s cricketing history as they registered their first Test series victory against the mighty West Indies, that too, at their home soil. The series marked the debut of sensation Sunil Gavaskar who would go on to score 774 runs in the series. The year stands significant as well for India registered their first series win in England, marking a seminal point in the history of Indian cricket.
• Adding another page to the glorious chapter, India won the 1975 Hockey World Cup, defeating Pakistan 2-1 in the final, with Dhyan Chand’s son Ashok Kumar scoring the decisive goal in the final. This remains India’s only hockey World Cup glory till date.

1980 - 2000

• 1980 stands to be the year India won their last gold medal in hockey at the Olympic Games, defeating Spain 4-3 in the final.

• Prakash Padukone became the first Indian player to win the All-England Championship in 1980, adding a new glory to the country’s sporting history.

• 1983 shone new light on how people perceived India’s place in the grand scheme of things, as underdogs India led by skipper Kapil Dev, coursed through, to lift the Cricket World Cup in England, defeating West Indies in the final. It stands to be one of the most culturally significant moments since Independence. The spirit carried on, as India emerged victorious at the 1985 Benson and Hedges World Championship, cementing India’s place as a cricketing juggernaut.

• Seeking personal redemption after finishing 4th at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, P.T. Usha immortalised her name in the history of track and field in India, by winning four golds and a silver at the 1986 Asian Games, in Seoul.

• India co-hosted the 1987 Cricket World Cup with Pakistan, becoming the first country to host the World Cup, barring England.

1987 also marks Sunil Gavaskar’s 10,000 international Test runs, making him the first cricketer to achieve this feat.

• The ‘Lightning Kid’, Viswanathan Anand became the first Chess Grandmaster from India, in 1988, after becoming the youngest Indian to achieve the title of International Master, aged 15 and being the first Indian to win the World Junior Chess Championship in 1987. The prodigy was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, at the tender age of 18.

• Leander Paes clinches a bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, becoming only the second Indian to register an individual medal the Games. The following year saw Mahesh Bhupati becoming the first Indian to win a Grand Slam, taking home the French Open Mixed Doubles title.

• Anil Kumble became the second person in history to take 10 wickets in an innings after Jim Laker, in 1999.

• One of the most formidable tennis duos at their peak, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati win the French Open and Wimbledon doubles title in 1999.

2000- 2022

• Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, bagging a bronze in weightlifting at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
• In 2002, Koneru Humpy became the youngest Female Chess Grandmaster at the age of 15, and becomes the first female GM from India.
• Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the first Indian athlete to win an individual silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
• The first cueist to achieve a Grand Double, a nineteen-year-old Pankaj Advani scripts history by winning the 2005 IBSF World Billiards Championship, in Malta.
• An era begins under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as India defeats Pakistan to win the inaugural edition of ICC t20 World Cup, in 2007.
• The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games became a historic chapter in India’s sporting history, as Abhinav Bindra brought India her first individual gold medal. To add to that, Vijender Singh became the first Indian Boxer to win an Olympic medal.

• The Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar scripted history yet again by scoring the first ever double century in an ODI match. He would retire in 2013 with a record 100 internationals to his name.
• Igniting a nation’s spirits and hopes, the Indian cricket team led by MS Dhoni, won the ICC Cricket World Cup for the second time, after 28 years.

• Carrying on the Olympic Charm, Mary Kom brought home a bronze medal in the inaugural year of women’s boxing at the 2012 Olympic Games. Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar created history by becoming the first Indian athlete to have two Olympic medals to his name, winning a silver in 2012 to add to his bronze from 2008.
• Deepika Kumari clinches a gold medal at the World Cup, going on to secure the No. 1 ranking in 2012.

Saina Nehwal became the first female shuttler from India to become World No.1, after winning a bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games and the Indian Open BWF Super Series.

• Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian to qualify for gymnastics at the Olympic Games. Capturing attention of people around the world, she missed out on a bronze, finishing 4th at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The Indian Women’s Hockey team qualified for the Olympics after 36 years.
• Manika Batra became the first woman to clinch an individual gold medal in table tennis at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
• Hima Das scripted history by winning the women’s 400m event at the U-20 World Championships in Finland, becoming the first Indian sprinter to win a gold medal at any international track event.

• A royal Neeraj Chopra brought India her first gold medal in athletics, clinching the top podium spot in javelin throw. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu became the first Indian to win a silver medal in weightlifting and P.V. Sindhu became only the second athlete to have two consecutive Olympic medals to her name. The Indian Men’s Hockey Team brought back a medal after 40 years, winning bronze.

• India won the Thomas Cup for the first time ever in 2022, with an emphatic win over 14-time winners and defending champions Indonesia.

Pictures: Getty Images, TT Archives and agencies