5 current sportspersons who have represented India for the longest time

Mouma Das participated in the 2004 Athens Olympics
 

India is a sports-crazy nation and players are idolised here like no other corner of the planet. Sachin Tendulkar is worshipped as a “God” and cricket as a religion in the Asian country. Apart from Sachin, there are also many athletes who are representing India for a long period of time and are still active in Global sports. With rich past records, they are still on the hunt to bring more national glory.

Let us have a look at 5 players who are representing India for the longest time:


#5 Mouma Das (Table Tennis)

Mouma Das was just twenty when she participated in the Athens Olympics back in 2004, and is making a comeback at the games after 12 long years. She has the record for the participation of maximum times by an Indian player, and also for winning the highest number of medals at the Commonwealth Table Tennis championships by an Indian player.

The Kolkata-born paddler also won a Silver medal and a Bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Mouma along with Achanta Sharath Kamal, Soumyajit Ghosh and Manika Batra will contest in the Rio Olympics. The paddler is vastly experienced and is expected to deliver in the quadrennial mega event.

Mouma has tasted success at the international level as she has won Gold hat-tricks in South Asian Games, so it is going to be interesting to see how the player fares at the greatest sporting spectacle.

#4 Jwala Gutta (Badminton)

Jwala Gutta will feature in the on-going Rio Olympics

Jwala Gutta has been in the limelight of Indian Badminton circuit for more than 15 years, who forms a lethal pair with Ashwini Ponappa in women’s doubles event. The player from Hyderabad has won as many as 14 badminton championships till 2013, but the major highlight of her career was when she won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which was held in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

She also won the silver medal in the mixed team event. Along with Shruti Kurien, she won six consecutive national doubles titles. The Maharashtra-born left-handed shuttler who plays with Ashwini Ponappa is expected to play well in the upcoming Rio Olympics which is going to start on the 5th August 2016.

#3 Harbhajan Singh (Cricket)

Harbhajan Singh in action during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup

In the modern era, Harbhajan Singh is by far the greatest spinner India produced apart from Anil Kumble. “The Turbanator” is the third highest wicket-taker for India in Test matches behind Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev. His career went on a high when he was selected for the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2001 by Captain Sourav Ganguly.

India won the historic Test series, thanks to the efforts of the Punjab-born, who took 32 wickets in the three matches. Harbhajan became the first Indian to take a Test hat-trick during the second match of that series at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Having taken 417 wickets in 103 Test matches, the off-spinner also has two Test centuries to his name.

Known for his expressive gestures on the cricket field, he often secures the headlines. As for the records, he is currently the longest-serving active player International cricketer having played his first match back in 1998.

#2 Geet Sethi (Billiards)

Geet Sethi is a former World Champion

Geet Sethi is a professional Billiards player with who was a dominant force in the world during the 1990’s. He is a five-time Professional and three-time amateur World Champion, along with holding two world records. Sethi is a recipient of both Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and also the Padma Shri Award. The cueist also took the Indian National Snooker Championships four times back to back, between 1985–1988.

Billiards has not yet been inducted into the Olympics as a discipline but Sethi has promised to represent the tri-colour when the cue sport features in the games. The Delhi-born along with badminton legend Prakash Padukone has co-founded a venture called the Olympic Gold Quest which aims at promotion of Sports in India.

#1 Vishwanathan Anand (Chess)

Vishwanathan Anand is the first Indian grandmaster

As a chess player, Vishwanathan Anand made his nation proud and has a lot to offer in the future. His achievements are unpanelled and dominance is commendable. In 1988, he became the first Indian grandmaster and held the FIDE World Chess Championship for 2000 to 2002.

Anand was the first sports personality to be presented with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna when it was first introduced during 1991-92. The man from Tamil Nadu won three consecutive World Championships from 2012 to 2014, but his entry in the world arena was back in 1984 when he won the Asian Junior Chess Championship in Coimbatore.

Anand was the only sportsperson to have been invited for the dinner hosted by then Indian PM Manmohan Singh for US President Barack Obama on 7 November 2010.

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Edited by Staff Editor