Indian sport in recent times has seen a lot of activity. From retirements of some legends to the emergence of new talent, fans have certainly been through a plethora of emotions over a period of time.
Here’s a look at where India stands in 10 major sports.
1.Cricket
Fair to say India are a team of two contrasting skippers. The Test team is showing glimpses of possibly becoming a force in the future with Virat Kohli at the helm of a group consisting of youngsters, who will now to look to replicate the glory days of the past era.
The limited-overs side, on the other hand, have been inconsistent with the players raising their game in major global events while failing to leave a mark in bilateral series. If one goes by indications, then it seems certain MS Dhoni would lead India into their Champions Trophy defence in England next year and one would have a clear picture on where the team in coloured clothing is heading, by then.
2.Football
Continues to remain an enigma. While the influx of youth( The likes of Gurpreet, Udanta etc) seems to be a step in the right direction, the lack of positive results on a consistent basis, the inability of some to replicate good domestic form while playing for the country and many near misses, do show that more time is certainly needed to raise hopes of the nation becoming worthy of competing with the best.
Stephen Constantine and his men won a mere one game in the FIFA Qualifiers, defeating Guam at home and if not for a controversial offside call against them, might have drawn a contest against Oman as well.
The point,however, remains that the players need to step while playing in national colours and deliver more victories to raise optimism among the fans.BELOW AVERAGE.
3.Tennis
The same story has now carried on for several years. While India brings glory regular during the course of the year in doubles with Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis winning Grand Slams as well as scaling newer heights, the lack of a quality Singles players, who can at least pose a challenge in the ATP circuit, continues to remain an issue.
The likes of Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan etc have failed to raise their games after showing potential at the start and their performance will be vital if India is to go forward and be part of the elite in the coming years.Sumit Nagal gave glimpses of his potential last year when he won the boys doubles title at Wimbledon and it now remains to be seen if in the coming years he can the Indian hopes forward.STABLE.
4.Shooting
If in recent times, there is one Indian sport which has seen good development, it is shooting.
The growth can be seen in Indian contingent that is travelling to Rio this year with veterans like Abhinav Bindra joined in by debutants like Apurvi Chandela and Gurpreet Singh. The performance of the junior shooters in the ongoing World Cup in Suhl is also a reason to feel optimistic about and hopefully, in the coming years, one can see many more shooters excel on the global stage.
A LOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE COMING YEARS.
5.Badminton
It would be safe to say that badminton has taken over as the number 2 sport after cricket in India, thanks to some excellent performances by our shuttlers in many major competitions. The likes of Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu etc have given many a memorable moment for Indian badminton and Indian sport in general with the latter winning two World Championships bronze medals in two consecutive years and the former achieving some staggering feats in 2015, including the numero uno ranking in Women’s Singles.
The likes of Siril Verma in the Men’s Singles and Ruthvika Gadde in the Women’s Singles also provide a lot to be hopeful about the future. PROMISING.
6.Archery
Indian archery in recent times has seen some impressive moments, with the likes of Deepika Kumari continuing to carry the Indian hopes. The likes of Laxmirani Majhi have also joined Kumari in helping Indian archery reach newer heights. The Men's team also boasts of some very fine archers in the form of Tarundeep Rai, Jayanta Talukdar etc who have carried the hopes very well in recent times.
For the moment, however, the scenario does look promising, with the likes of Abhishek Verma also stepping up in the Men’s category.
7.Hockey
If you are a supporter of Indian hockey, then you definitely will be optimistic about this present group of players. The faithful fans of the sport have had reason to feel cheerful about this team, who have done well in the last 12-18 months.
The team led by Sardar Singh clinched its maiden FIH medal in December and last month finished runners-up at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. The key thing about the latter was India went into it with youngsters like Harmanpreet Singh, who showed that he could definitely be one to look out for in the future.
The important thing obviously would be to not sit back on the laurels and if the administrators can continue to nurture talent at the grassroots, then there is definitely enough to feel OPTIMISTIC about Indian hockey.
The Women’s hockey team has also delivered some fine performances in recent times, having qualified for the Olympics for the first time after a gap of 36 years and provide a lot to be hopeful about in the future
8.Athletics
For many years, India has been looking for that one athlete who would be the shining light at global competitions. While in recent times, the present group of athletes, the likes of Inderjeet Singh have shown that they do have the talent to make it big, but can they do so on a consistent basis and challenge the best in their own den still remains a question mark.
India has never been short of talent in athletics but has fallen short on several instances due to their mindset, which if altered could lead to more medals. For the moment, however, A LOT OF WORK LIES AHEAD.
9.Basketball
If there is a sport in Indian which in the last 12-18 months seen a lot of activity away from the court, it is basketball. The formations of the two factions and the bitter want for power has meant that all the attention has been grabbed by the unnecessary sources, whereas on the field on the court, the team has shown that it can punch above its weights and perform.
The Indian team put forth a commendable showing at the FIBA Asian Championships last September and led by the exploits of Amjyot Singh, finished in 8th place to shower some positivity for the sport in the country.
Despite that showing, however, a lot of work remains to be done and skipper Vishesh Bhriguvanshi’s suggestion of the sport needing a league is something that has been catered to, with the introduction of the Universal Basketball League(UBL) that has seen a good crop of young players. Can they now carry the Indian forward? Only time will tell.
10.Kabaddi
A sport that originally began on mud turf has been revolutionised in the last three years thanks to the invent of the Prao Kabaddi League(PKL) that has taken the sport by storm.
Indian kabaddi at the moment is on a high. The PKL, in addition to the national team’s dominance in various events, have meant that there are many reasons to feel confident about the progress of the sport in recent times. The combination of experienced hands like Anup Kumar and the influx of youth like Rahul Choudhary has certainly made them one of the most powerful teams in the world and signs do look very good for the future. EXUDES CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE.
