5. Narain Karthikeyan (Motor racing)
Formula 1 may be one of the most widely followed sports in the world, but for a long time, it hardly had any popularity in India. Michael Schumacher was probably the poster boy of F1 for Indian viewers, but things changed to a certain extent when a young countryman was seen competing with the drivers of Ferrari and McLaren. Yes, I am talking about none other than Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian Formula One driver.
Having made his F1 debut in 2005 with the Jordan team, the Coimbatore-born driver soon became a household name. Karthikeyan was a recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2010 and has started 46 races in his F1 World Championship career. In spite of not having a glittering stint at the top level, he is the only Indian athlete responsible for popularising Formula One to great heights in the country.
