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As another year comes to an end, Sportskeeda decided to look back and revisit the best sporting moments of the year which took our breath away, made us stand up and applaud or simply made our jaws drop at the sheer spectacle we witnessed in various sporting arenas. With so many different performances to choose from, we simply could noÂÂt decide who gets the ultimate prize.And so, we decided to ask our viewers to pick one from our list instead. Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli took home the prize in 2014 for his twin centuries against Australia. Who will it be in 2015?Remember to VOTE at the end of the slideshow.Compiled with inputs from various Sportskeeda editors
#1 Football: Robert Lewandowski scores five goals in nine minutes
22 September It was half-time in the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg and Pep Guardiola’s team were losing 1-0. The Spanish manager decided to shake things up at half-time and introduced Robert Lewandowski as a half-time substitute.
Six minutes into the second half, Lewandowski equalised and the score read 1-1. Less than eight minutes later, Bayern were leading 5-1 with all goals coming from the Polish striker!
Wolfsburg couldn’t believe it, the fans couldn’t believe it, even Guardiola himself couldn’t believe it as he clutched his face and looked on in utter disbelief.
In doing so, Lewandowski got his first hat-trick for Bayern Munich and also set a number of records – including the fastest hat-trick in Bundesliga history, the first substitute to score five goals in Bundesliga history and the first person to score the fastest four goals (and five goals) in a match!
#2 Basketball: Klay Thompson erupts for 37 points in a quarter
23 January In a competitive league where best the average points per game in the NBA last season was less than 30, it came as a surprise when Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson scored 37 points – in a single quarter!
It was a new record as Thompson ripped the Kings apart in the third quarter nailing all 13 of his shots! It included nine 3-pointers and two free-throws as one half of the Spash Brothers scored 37 of the 41 points for the Warriors in the quarter as they raced away to a 126-101 win.
Thompson would end the night with a career-high 52 points.
#3 Combat Sports: Holly Holm beats Ronda Rousey at UFC 193
15 November Fight pundits and MMA fanatics around the world went into UFC 193 expecting to witness the Ronda Rousey show in full swing. What they got instead was one the biggest upsets in combat sports history.
57,000 fans in Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, were left awestruck by the sheer skill of Holly Holm, who clinically highlighted the glaring flaws in Ronda Rousey’s strike game to knock her out – 59 seconds into the second round.
Rousey applied the pressure since the onset of the bout, but Holly's world class boxing credentials and a well-rounded gameplan helped her in thwarting every offensive attempt from the former women's Bantamweight Champion. A highlight reel head kick to Rousey' face followed by the customary hammer fists and the most feared woman on planet earth – Ronda 'Rowdy' Rousey – had been handed her first professional loss.
Holly Holm, known as the Preacher Daughter, ascended her legendary status by becoming the first athlete – male or female – to hold both the boxing and UFC titles on separate occasions. While on one side the fans felt sorry for a visibly dejected Ronda, the sheer humbleness of Holly made the world stand up and applaud the previously unknown boxing standout.
#4 Tennis: Stan Wawrinka beats Novak Djokovic to win the French Open
7 June The final of the 2015 French Open saw the World No.1, a Grand Slam machine, up against the World No.4, an immense talent but a player who had only one Grand Slam to his name at that point. Hot off a 28-match winning streak, top-ranked Novak Djokovic was the firm favourite to win the match by a long shot.
But Stan Wawrinka penetrated the Serb's otherwise invincible defence with the two locked in a battle for the title at Roland Garros. The Swiss initially faltered, dropping a set against Djokovic as he played a poor first service game. But from then on, it rained winners on the court.
The next three sets were absolutely dominated by Wawrinka, who was participating in only his second ever Grand Slam Final. With his dominant backhand and some brilliant forehand winners, the Swiss played some swashbuckling tennis to put paid to Djokovic's plans of a calendar Grand Slam.
#5 Athletics: Usain Bolt takes the gold in the 100m
23 August It was the 15th edition of the IAAF World Athletics Championships and 10 athletes took to the track for the 100m race. But the eyes of a sizable portion of the world were on two men – Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin.
The American was touted to be a strong favourite heading into the race, having improved upon on his personal best earlier in May, with a timing of 9.74 seconds at the Qatar Grand Prix while there were several question marks over whether Bolt had it in him to win a medal after having endured a torrid season. In the heats prior to the main race, he had finished with a timing of 9.99 seconds.
But the Jamaican isn't considered a legend for nothing and, in front of a packed arena, he came up with a sensational run to outmatch Gatlin with a timing of 9.79 seconds and beat his much-favoured opponent by 0.01 seconds. It was an incredible performance from Bolt and a worthy reminder to many of his critics.
A few days later, he beat Gatlin once again, this time in the 200m, clinching the Gold by recording a time of 19.74 seconds to seal the double at the marquee event for a third time in his career.
#6 F1: 17-year-old Max Verstappen at the Belgian Grand Prix
23 August The youngest driver on the circuit, Max Verstappen has made waves from his Formula One debut this year. He only turned 18 midway through the 2015 season, but the young Dutchman has shown a maturity and skill far beyond his years.
At the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. F1's fastest, longest, most dangerous track, 17-year-old Verstappen showed skill and maturity far beyond his years, and an aggression that World Champions are associated with.
Verstappen went flat-out at Blanchimont, one of the most perilous corners in the sport, and pulled off a stunning overtake on Sauber's Felipe Nasr at a location many would not have attempted. In that moment, the young Dutchman showed not only his skill but the single-minded aggressive driving Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel would come to be known for.
That overtake augurs well for a return for raw racing to F1.
#7 Kabaddi: Kashiling Adake\'s 24 points vs Telugu Titans
11 August Kashiling Adake invoked fear in the opponents whenever he stepped forward for a raid. In a rather dismal campaign for Dabang Delhi, young raider Adake etched his name in kabaddi folklore. Against the energetic and all-conquering Telugu Titans, the 23-year-old conjured up a performance he will be telling his grandchildren in decades to come.
He created a record for the most points in a single game when he amassed more than half of his team's points in a 45-45 draw against the team in yellow. Carrying his team's flag single-handedly, Kashi scored a mammoth 24 points which helped Delhi sneak a draw in its final home game.
After this dominating performance by the raider, his teammates lifted him on their shoulders as he soaked in applause from all quarters, including the opponents, who were caught in awe of the Kashi-show. It is a testament to his performance in the tournament that despite his team being knocked in the group stage, he was awarded the 'Best Raider of the Tournament' trophy.
Take a bow, Kashi!
#8 Cricket: AB de Villiers scores 149 in 44 balls against West Indies
18 January After the South African openers had put together a 200-run opening partnership, AB de Villiers came into a situation every No.3 batsman dreams of. But what he proceeded to do was something not many batsmen, let alone No.3 batsmen can do.
While the pitch was flat and the bowling attack was demoralised after the onslaught from the openers, that should take nothing away from AB's innings which smashed records aplenty.
Coming into bat in the 39th over, few would have foreseen a hundred from the Proteas skipper, let alone one that broke the record for the fastest ODI fifty, fastest hundred, most sixes in an innings and the highest strike rate for a 50-plus knock.
Not only did he help the Proteas score the second-highest total in ODI history, but his 44-ball 149 also cemented his status as a modern day legend in all forms of the game.
#9 VOTE
So which performance of the year gets your vote? Let us know in the poll below.
