Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket)

Perhaps the greatest batsman of his generation, what Sachin

Tendulkar meant to the Indian masses before his retirement can be

easily summed up by Virat Kohli’s one statement. After India won

the 2011 ODI World Cup, Kohli, India’s current Test captain said:

"Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It is

time we carried him on our shoulders." Undoubtedly, there was

something special about the Little Master as and when he scored

India smiled, when he failed India went into mourning — such was

his hold on the nation’s public, that he ended up being ‘God’ for

them.

Dhyan Chand (Field Hockey)

Popularly known as “The Wizard”, Dhyan Chand was arguably the

greatest player the sport of field hockey has ever seen. Although,

every year Indians celebrate his birthday on 29th August as

National Sports Day, Dhyan Chand is best remembered for his

three-peat of gold medals at the Olympics in 1928, 1932 and 1936.

Admired for his excellent ball control, Dhyan Chand scored more

than 400 goals during the course of his career, officially bidding

good bye to the game in 1948.

Abhinav Bindra (Shooting)

With the silver winning effort of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

during the previous Olympics being his inspiration, it was for

Abhinav Bindra to deliver the one result India had awaited not for

decades, but for nearly a century. Bindra won the gold in Men’s

10m Air Rifle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first

Indian to win the yellow metal in an individual event.

PV Sindhu (Badminton)

Shuttler PV Sindhu became the youngest Indian to win an Olympic

medal in Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016. The 22-year-old

girl from Hyderabad clinched a silver - the first by an Indian in

badminton.

Milkha Singh (Athletics)

The Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh was probably India’s first sports

super-hero post-independence. A winner of four gold medals in the

Asian Games, the race for which Singh is best remembered is his

fourth-place photo finish at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Recently, a

biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag starring Farhan Akhtar in the lead was

made on his life, telling the story of his struggles and

achievements; inspiring many a youngsters to take up sports as a

career.
Rahul Dravid (Cricket)

Rahul Dravid is the former skipper of Indian cricket team and is

widely regarded as one of the greatest batsman of all-time.

Nicknamed the ‘Wall’ for his solid defense and technical acumen,

Dravid was the mainstay of the famed Indian middle order in the

late 1990s and the 2000s before retiring from international cricket

in 2012. He is the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket and is

part of an elite group of seven players who have scored more than

10,000 runs in both Tests and ODIs. The other six are Sachin

Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis, Mahela

Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

Kapil Dev (Cricket)

The man responsible for Indian cricket’s most seminal moment, the

triumph at the 1983 World Cup, Kapil Dev was the nation’s first

genuine speedster and its best all-rounder to date. In his prime,

Kapil was a perfect example of a developing India — he came from

a non-metro, he mastered an art of bowling alien to Indians and

batted like a braveheart all the time — he was aggressive in both

intent and practice and used to take on the opposition full on both

with the bat and the ball.

Sushil Kumar (Wrestling)

During the 2012 London Olympics, Sushil Kumar achieved

something no Indian has achieved in the past. After his bronze

medal exploits in Beijing four years ago, he went a step further and

clinched the silver medal in wrestling for India; becoming the first
and the only Indian to win two individual medals in the Olympics.

Amazingly, he achieved the feat in back-to-back Games.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Cricket)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s former captain is considered to be

the greatest finisher in limited overs cricket. Known as ‘Captain

Cool’ in the cricketing fraternity Dhoni has always played cricket

on his own terms. He has created his own style of batting which

isn’t elegant, but extremely effective while his captaincy evokes

both conservatism and unorthodoxy. Yet, under Mahi India

achieved everything that was there to be achieved in the sport: the

World T20 win in 2007, the No.1 ranking in Tests for 18 months

beginning December 2009 and the 50-over World Cup victory in

2011.

Viswanathan Anand (Chess)

One of the greatest chess players, Viswanathan Anand became

India’s first chess Grandmaster in 1988 before becoming the

undisputed world champion in the mid-2000s. Subsequently,

Anand went on to defend his World Chess Championship title in

2008, 2010 and 2012. The government of India acknowledged his

great accomplishments by honoring him with the Padma Vibhusan,

the country’s second highest civilian award in 2007.

Sakshi Malik (Wrestling)

Defying all odds and showing killer instincts, Sakshi Malik won a

bronze at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016 to become the

first Indian to win a medal in women's wrestling.

Leander Paes (Tennis)

Having won eight doubles and an equal number of mixed doubles

Grand Slam titles, Leander Paes is considered to be one of the best

doubles and mixed doubles players of the late 1990s, 2000s and

the present decade. Paes also became the oldest man to win a

Grand Slam when he and partner Martina Hingis won the mixed

doubles crown at the Australian Open in Melbourne in 2015.

Prakash Padukone (Badminton)

Indian badminton is thriving and going places right now, but long

before Pullela Gopichand or the current crop of players including

2012 Olympic bronze medalist Saina Nehwal made it one of the

most sought after sports in India, it was Prakash Padukone who

put India on the map by triumphing at the Commonwealth Games

in 1978 and the All England Open Championships in 1982.

Mary Kom (Boxing)

A five-time world champion and an Olympic bronze medalist at the

2012 London Games, MC Mary Kom has been the epitome of

courage, someone who fought against prejudices in India and rose

to become the best in a sport dominated by men. Her great story

got another shot in the arm last year when she won the gold medal

at the Asian Games in Incheon, becoming the first Indian woman

boxer to do so.
Sourav Ganguly (Cricket)

Affectionately called ‘Dada’, Sourav Ganguly along with Sachin

Tendulkar, formed one of the most lethal opening combinations in

ODIs. Ganguly’s strokeplay was extremely pleasing to the eye, so-

much-so that the great Rahul Dravid gave him the epithet ‘God of

the off-side’ because of his graceful off-drives and his ability to

pierce the field with immaculate precision.

Saina Nehwal (Badminton)

Saina Nehwal became the first Indian to win a medal in Badminton

at the Olympics, when she won the bronze at the London Games in

2012. However, what catapulted her to near iconic status is the fact

that she attained the No.1 position in the world rankings in March

2015.

Geet Sethi (Billiards)

In an incredible career spanning three decades, beginning in the

early 1990s, Geet Sethi became synonymous with billiards in India.

A nine-time world champion, Sethi was honored with the Padma

Shri in 1986 and was awarded the country’s biggest sports honor,

the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 1992-93.

Rakesh Kumar (Kabaddi)

In a country where even the slightest of moves of its cricketing

stars are scrutinized and their achievements glorified, Rakesh

Kumar has hardly got the accolades he deserves. After all, Rakesh

was a member and the vice-captain of the World Cup winning team

in 2007 and has also completed the hat-trick of gold medals at the
Asian Games, winning in Doha, Guangzhou and most recently in

Incheon in 2014.

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Shooting)

Four years earlier than Abhinav Bindra’s gigantic feat at Beijing, an

army colonel had made India proud and he was none other than

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Rathore bagged the silver medal in

Men’s Double Trap in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, becoming the

first Olympian for the nation to clinch an individual silver since the

1900 Paris Olympics, when Norman Pritchard had won two silver

medals.

Sania Mirza (Tennis)

A winner of six Grand Slams, Sania Mirza is the current World No. 2

in women’s doubles. Not only has she broken the threshold for

Indian women in tennis, but has also become the most famous

female sports personality in India. Sania won her maiden doubles

Grand Slam title alongside partner Martina Hingis at Wimbledon

and followed it up with yet another Major victory at the US Open in

New York in 2015.

Vijender Singh (Boxing)

Vijender Singh is considered the pride of Indian boxing as he was

the first Indian boxer to win a medal at the Olympics when he won

the bronze in Beijing in 2008. Undoubtedly, it was a huge

achievement for the sports, but what made Vijender the role model

for many young Indians was his rise to the top of the International

Boxing Association (AIBA) rankings in its middle-weight category

(75 kg) in September, 2009.

Sunil Gavaskar (Cricket)

It is often said that nobody has played fast bowling better than

Sunil Gavaskar. During his best days, Gavaskar with his

innumerable superb knocks reminded the purists of two great man

— Don Bradman, Jack Hobbs. His defense was as solid as ever and

his range of shots was as wide as possible. However, what

separated him from the rest was the way he tackled the great West

Indian bowlers, especially in an era when there was no headgear

available to protect themselves from those deadly bouncers.

Balbir Singh Sr. (Hockey)

Balbir Singh Sr. was a member of three Olympic gold medal

winning teams, in London (1948), Helsinki (1952) and Melbourne

(1956). He still holds the record for most goals scored by an

individual in an Olympic men’s hockey final. Singh scored 5 goals

against the Netherlands at the 1952 Olympics, setting up the above

mentioned record in the process.

Vijay Kumar (Shooting)

Vijay Kumar claimed the silver medal in the individual 25-metre

rapid fire pistol event at the London Olympics in 2012. Apart from

the silver medal in the British capital, Vijay had previously won 3

gold medals and one silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games held

in Delhi. Adding on to his great performances at both the mega

sports events, Vijay captured the silver medal alongside his

teammates Pemba Tamang and Gurpreet Singh in the 25m centre-

fire men’s team competition at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

Mahesh Bhupathi (Tennis)

Mahesh Bhupathi became a household name in India when he won

the French Open mixed doubles title alongside Rika Hiraki of Japan

in 1997. In the year 2006, Bhupathi joined a select group of eight

ATP professionals who have completed a career Grand Slam in

mixed doubles after he won the Australian Open with his partner

Martina Hingis.

Yogeshwar Dutt (Wrestling)

Following in the footsteps of his idol Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt

secured the bronze medal in the Men's 60kg Freestyle wrestling at

the London Games in 2012. He was honored with the Padma Shri

award by the Government of India in 2013.

Pankaj Advani (Billiards and Snooker)

Pankaj Advani is the 15-time World Billiards and Snooker

champion — the only man on earth who has won world titles in all

formats of both, billiards and snooker. He is also a two-time Asian

Games gold medalist, winning his medals in successive events at

Doha and Guangzhou in 2006 and 2010 respectively.

Gagan Narang (Shooting)

Ace shooter Gagan Narang was the first Indian to qualify for the

2012 London Olympics before winning the bronze medal in the

Men’s 10m Air Rifle event. His success hasn’t been limited to the

Olympics as he has also won eight gold medals at the

Commonwealth Games with four medals each coming at the

Melbourne and the Delhi editions of the CWG in 2006 and 2010.
Mithali Raj (Women’s Cricket)

Mithali Raj is often referred as the ‘Lady Sachin’ of Indian women’s

cricket. Recently, Mithali became the second highest run scorer in

ODIs after England’s Charlotte Edwards, completing 5000 runs in

her 157th match against New Zealand at Bangalore.

Anju B. George (Athletics)

Anju Bobby George is the only Indian athlete to have won a medal

at the World Championships, clinching the bronze in long jump in

Paris in 2003. She was also a gold medalist in the same discipline at

the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea.

Anjum Chopra (Women’s Cricket)

Anjum Chopra, one of Indian batting’s mainstays can easily remind

you of David Gower. Chopra, who believes in playing by the

textbook doesn’t think too much while dancing down the track to

smack the spinners over the boundary line. However, Anjum’s

biggest asset is her flexibility — she can bat at any position at the

top of the batting order.

Saurav Ghosal (Squash)

Saurav Ghosal became the first Indian to enter the quarter-finals

stage of the World Squash Championships when he made it

through to the last eight at Manchester in 2013. Still, it was his

gargantuan effort that led India to a gold medal in the doubles at

the 2014 Incheon Asian Games which got him the most accolades.
Dhanraj Pillay (Field Hockey)

Dhanraj Pillay, the former skipper of India’s men’s hockey team is

perhaps the finest player India has produced in the national sport

since their days of complete dominance in the 1930s, 40s and the

50s. A member of the gold medal winning squad at the 1998 Asiad

held at Bangkok, Pillay was honored with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel

Ratna and the Padma Shri in 2000.

PT Usha (Athletics)

Broadly considered as the greatest female athlete to have emerged

out of the country, PT Usha is a four-time Asian Games gold

medalist. The ‘queen of Indian track and field’, Usha also has six

silver medals to her credit at Asia’s version of the Olympics.

Currently, she trains young athletes at her academy, Usha School of

Athletics at Koyilandy in Kerala.

Jeev Milka Singh (Golf)

Jeev Milkha Singh, son of Milkha Singh, continued the sporting

legacy of his great father by becoming a professional golfer. He

became the first man from the country to join the European Tour in

1998 and in 2007 he created history by becoming the first golfer to

participate in the prestigious Masters tournament.

Deepika Kumari (Archery)

Deepika Kumari, a former World No.1 archer is a great example of

how to fight the odds. Born to an auto-rickshaw driver father,

Deepika rose to fame with her strong showing at the 2010

Commonwealth Games in Delhi where she won gold medals in the

individual recurve and team events.

Narain Karthikeyan (Racing)

Narain Karthikeyan from Bangalore is a famous formula one

champion. Though, he hasn’t won any award for the same but he is

indeed famous and also the first and famous racing champion.

Baichung Bhutia (football)

The famous Indian footballer in India, Baichung Bhutia is one of the

most famous sports personalities in India. He has also received the

Arjun Award for football.

Leander Paes (Tennis)

Leander Paes is the famous and a professional tennis player in

India. He ranks amongst the best in doubles and mixed doubles. He

has won several awards and acknowledgement from across the

world.
Virender Sehwag

India's first triple centurion in Test cricket carved a niche for

himself with his aggressive batting style at the top of the order.

Sehwag has the record of most runs in an innings in ODI cricket

when he scored 219 against West Indies in 2011.