India’s Sports Legends
India is a very popular country all over the globe, it is mainly famous for its diversity. Over the past few years, India has achieved massive success in the field of sports.
These legendary sportspersons are the ones who represent India all over the world and encourage the younger generation to come forward and represent their country. In this article, you will get to know about some of the list of famous sports personalities of India .
Contents
1) Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, this name has a brand in itself. There is hardly any sports enthusiast worldwide who doesn’t know about Virat Kholi. Virat Kohli is one the best cricketers in the world he was born on 5th November 1988 in Delhi, India.
The cricketing journey of Virat is full of hard work, dedication and determination towards his goal.
Early Life of Virat Kohli
Kohli started his cricketing career at a very young age his both father and mother played a major role in Kohli’s success. Kohli’s talent made him a place in the Under 15 team of Delhi, he has earned a name for himself from a very young age.
Virat Kohli quickly settled into the International Cricket team; his great performance in international matches made him a renowned star. Kohli made his first century in 2009 against Sri Lanka and from there was no looking back.
International Records
Virat Kohli has a long list of records in his career statistics. He is the fastest player to score 8000, 9000, 10000 and 11000 runs in One Day cricket format.
Virat Kohli is in the 2nd spot for the highest centuries in international cricket with 78 centuries.
2) Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is also known as the “God of Cricket”
In the history of world-class cricket, there is no batsman ever like the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin was born on 24th April 1973 in Mumbai, India. Sachin Tendulkar had a passion for cricket from his childhood and it makes him the world’s best cricketer.\
Early Days of Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar started playing cricket at a very early age, at the age of 11 he joined the Cricket Club of India. Sachin has an elder brother Ajit Tendulkar who recognizes the talent of Sachin and encourages him to play cricket. Sachin improved his skills under the guidance of his coach Ramakant Achrekar and his brother Ajit.
International Career
Through his exceptional talent, Sachin Tendulkar made his international debut at the young age of 16, he played a test match against Pakistan in Karachi in 1989.
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for the highest number of centuries in international cricket, the sum of his centuries in all three formats is 100 this record of Sachin Tendulkar still remains unbeatable.
Sachin retired from international cricket in 2013, he is an inspiration not only for young cricketers but also for the sports community. Sachin has made a big contribution to making the Indian Cricket team one of the best teams in the world.
3) Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is known for “The Hitman of Indian Cricket”
Rohit Sharma was born on April 30, 1987, in Bansod situated near Nagpur, India. Rohit faced too many ups and downs in his cricket career but his remarkable tale of talent made him the captain of the Indian Cricket team.
Early Life of Rohit Sharma
Rohit made his international ODI debut in 2007 against Ireland. The optimal performance in domestic matches and Ranji Trophy made Rohit Sharma start his international cricket journey.
Rohit’s performance in his doubt series gathered the attention of all the cricket lovers, especially in the limited overs format he outperformed in limited overs.
International Record
Rohit Sharma became the synonym for record-breaking performance. Rohit holds numberable records in international cricket. The massive knock of 264 runs against Sri Lanka and three double centuries in the ODI format made him different from other cricket players.
Rohit Sharma is leading the Indian Cricket Team in the ODI World Cup .
Indian Premier League (IPL)
Rohit Sharma is the successful captain of IPL he is the leader and key player of Mumbai Indians. As a captain of Mumbai Indians, Rohit led the team to multiple IPL titles.
4) Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni mainly known as MS Dhoni, we all know the name he doesn’t need any introduction.
MS Dhoni is another word for success and leadership, MS Dhoni is one of the best captains of the Indian cricket team. MSD was born on the 7th of July 1981 in Ranchi, India.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a special place in the hearts of Indian cricket fans, his remarkable journey from a simple man to the best captain of the Indian team is full of hard work, dedication and perseverance.
Early Life of MS Dhoni
Dhoni was introduced to cricket by his school’s sports coach, in his school days he was a goalkeeper in football later he started playing cricket. Dhoni played his debut Ranji Trophy match in 2000 for Bihar, it was his transit to the Jharkhand cricket team that marked the start of his remarkable cricket journey.
International Cricket
MS Dhoni is famous for his captaincy and his leadership style, Dhoni was named as the captain of the Indian Cricket team in 2007 and the results of his captaincy were immediate, India had won the ICC World Cup Twenty20 in 2007.
In August 2020, MSD announced his retirement from international cricket. Dhoni was named as the Captain Cool of India. He had played a major role in the success of the Indian Cricket team in all three cricket formats.
4) Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra is the emerging sports star of India. Neeraj was born on December 24 1997 in Khandra, Haryana, India. The journey of Neeraj Chopra, a young boy comes from a simple farmer family to the Javelin star.
Early Life of Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra was raised in a family of farmers, he initially started his sports journey with cricket but later he chose athletics. His father’s name is Mr.Satish Kumar, according to the interviews of Neeraj Chopra his father played a vital role in his success.
Neeraj’s father recognised the young boy’s talent and encouraged him to choose athletics. Neeraj Chopra started practising throwing javelins in the fields of his village.
Achievements of Neeraj Chopra
Neeraj Chopra first won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 held in Gold Coast, Australia. His throw of 86.47 metres sets a new Commonwealth Games record. This victory enhances the confidence of Neeraj Chopra and it is also a historic moment for India.
In Asian Games Glory, Neeraj Chopra set a new national record by throwing the javelin at a distance of 88.06 metres and secured the gold medal. In 2018 Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win an Asian Games gold in Javelin.’
The transitional moment for Neeraj Chopra came in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which was held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Neeraj Chopra won the Gold Medal in Javelin throwing with a throw of 87.58 metres. This success made him the first Indian to win an Olympic Gold Medal in athletics and the second Indian to win an individual gold medal in the Olympics.
5) Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh is popularly known as the “Flying Sikh”
Milkha Singh was born on 20th October 1935 in Govindpura, Punjab, India. The journey of Milkha Singh from a small village to becoming an international athlete legend is miraculous.
Early Life of Milkha Singh
Milkha Singh experienced the horrors of the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 when his family had to flee to India because they were uprooted from their home in Pakistan. During the partition, in the violence he had lost many of his family members and also his parents.
Milkha Singh was introduced to athletics during his time in the Indian Army. Milkha Singh joined EME Centre, Secunderabad and there he began his athletic career.
Achievements
In 1960 during the Rome Olympics, he missed the medal by just a fraction of a second in the 400-metre race, it was the time when he started getting recognition and got the name of ‘Flying Sikh”.
Milkha Singh had won the Gold Medal at the 1958 Commonwealth Games, his success led him to new heights and it was his most celebrated moment. Milkha Singh also won Gold in the 1962 Asian Games.
6) Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev is one of the legendary players of cricket history, Kapil Dev was born on the 6th of January 1959 in Chandigarh, India. The Cricket journey of Kapil Dev was very hard in the beginning because of a lack of resources at the time.
Early Life of Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev started his cricketing career from his early childhood in Chandigarh. Kapil was introduced to Cricket by his father, Ram Lal NIkhanj. Kapil’s father was also an amateur cricketer. Kapil Dev was very good at bowling, he bowled fast from an early age and got recognition in local teams.
International Career
Kapil Dev made his international debut in the Indian Cricket team in October 1978, he played his first match against Pakistan in the Test format. Kapil Dev has the calibre to generate swing and seam movement that makes him the top bowler of the Indian Cricket team.
Later he started batting too and became the hard hitter batsman for India. His batting skills began to shine and he quickly got recognition from all the cricketing fans.
Kapil Dev’s biggest achievement came in 1983 when he led the Indian Cricket Team in the ICC World Cup 1983. Kapil Dev’s performance in all the World Cup matches led the Indian team to victory. It was the first time that India had won the World Cup ever.
Kapi’s iconic 175 not-out performance against Zimbabwe is one of the greatest One Day International innings for every Indian.
Beyond Cricket, he became a role model for every cricket fan in India.
7) Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur is a role model for all the women who want to pursue Cricket. She is the power-hitting cricketer of India. Harmanpreet Kaur was born on the 8th of March 1989 in Moga, Punjab, India.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s cricketing journey is a mixture of hard work, determination and her passion towards cricket.
Early Life of Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur was introduced to cricket at a very young age, she was born in the region where cricket was considered as a men’s sport. She broke the chain pursued her passion and followed cricket.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s father Mr.Harmandar Singh Bhullar played an important role in sharpening her talent and helping her in every possible way so that she can fulfil her dreams.
International Career
Harmanpreet Kaur made her international ODI debut against Pakistan in 2009 followed by her T-20 debut against England in the same year.
Harmanpreet quickly established herself as a key player in the Indian Women’s Cricket team. She was selected as the Captain of the Indian Women’s T20I team in 2016, under her captaincy Indian Women’s team reached new heights.
