Sports and Indian Independence Day: A Look At All Glorious Moments for Athletes of India on 15th August

India celebrates its 72nd Independence day today and what a journey it has been for this South Asian nation from a battered looted nation to the growth engine of the world. In every field, India has continuously progressed and the country of 1.25 billion people has an identity about itself today. One of the areas, where we have come of age in sports. Be it outdoor or indoor games, Indian athletes have strived hard and despite the challenges, they are seeing the glory days. Is it enough considering the size of the nation and its diverse set of people-the answer would be a big no. But, with each passing day, we are making an impression in the sporting field.

Let us look at some of the greatest sporting achievements for India in the past 72 years and one that got the entire nation on its feet. Test Matches Played by Team India on 15th August: List of All Cricket Encounters and Results on Indian Independence Day.

Hockey: India’s national game has seen many glory days and it was one of the top sides in the world back in those days. It has 5 Olympics gold medal to its name in 1948 in London, 1952 in Helsinki, 1956 in Melbourne, 1964 in Tokyo and 1980 in Moscow. In addition to the Olympic top spot, it also won the World Cup in 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Not only at the World Stage, the Asiad’s too have been a successful event for with gold medals in 1966 and 1998 games in Bangkok and a recent gold in 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

Cricket: Having made its debut in the 1932 tour of England as a full member if ICC, there were not many who believed the game will become the heartbeat of an entire nation. Today, cricket is India’s no 1 sports and the cricketers are demi-gods. Among its major achievements in cricket, the 1983 World Cup win in England has to be at the top of the list. A rank outsider with absolutely no one backing them for even a semi-final spot, India led by Kapil Dev defeated defending champions West Indies to lift their first World Cup. 28 years after their first win, an India team led by MS Dhoni lifted India’s second World Cup in Mumbai in 2011. Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, and Sachin Tendulkar played key roles in the win. This was four years after a young team under MS Dhoni won the maiden T20 World Cup. Independence Day 2018 Special: Here's a Look at Some of India’s Achievements in Cricket in Last 72 Years.

Badminton: Prakash Padukone’s win in the 1980 All England Open Badminton Championships is a major talking point in our country’s badminton history. Saina Nehwal bagged a bronze medal for India at the 2012 London Olympics to mark the first medal in Badminton at Olympics and four years after her exploits in London, her compatriot PV Sindhu went a step ahead and helped India win silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics. In March 2015, Saina Nehwal scaled to the new height when she was crowned the no 1 badminton player in the world.

Football: Only a few people know that back in the 50s India was one of the top teams of the world in football and with time while its viewership increased in India, the football team went down the spiral. One of the biggest achieving in its hay days was the gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games which it achieved by defeating Iran 1-0 in the finals. It had also qualified for the 1950 World Cup but could not participate due to a variety of issues. It under-20 team recently defeated Argentina in a friendly four-nation tournament which just goes on to show football does have a future in India. It is currently 97th in the world.

Chess: In chess, one man has been at the forefront of all the good things that have happened with the sports and that man is Vishwanathan Anand. He has been a World Chess Champion 5 times in the year 2000,2007,2008,2010 and 2012. Vishy, as he is fondly called by his fans, is the current World Rapid Chess Champion after having won the 2017 Championships. Considered by many to be one of the greatest chess players ever, Anand has been the flag bearer of India in the world of chess for the best part of 25 years now and continues to do so with the same vigour. Independence Day 2018: Why do we Celebrate Independence Day?

Wrestling: Wrestling is considered as one of the go-to sports when it comes to winning laurels for India and Sushil Kumar’s two medals in 2008 Beijing and 2012 in London remain the standout results. In 60 Kg freestyle, Yogeshwar Dutt won a bronze in London Olympics of 2012 while in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, he had a gold medal to his name. The duo also have Asiad and Commonwealth Games winners medals under their belt.

Shooting: India’s only individual Olympics gold medal came in shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when shooter Abhinav Bindra had a final tally of 700.5. Abhinav shot his way into the hall of fame for India. Prior to it, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had won a silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics in the men’s double trap shooting and it was the only medal for India in that event. Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar won bronze and silver at the 2012 London Olympics.

Tennis: Tennis has always been one of the popular sports in India and it has quite a history dating back to 1880s. Leander Paes won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and his famous partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi saw the duo dominate the men’s tennis for a very long time. The pair won the Wimbledon and French Open tournament together. Leander Paes has 8 Grand Slams to his name in men’s doubles while 10 grand slams to his name in the mixed doubles. Mahesh, on the other hand, has 4 doubles title and 8 mixed doubles and one of the all-time greats. Sania Mirza is the torch bearer for India in women’s tennis with 6 grand slams in mixed doubles and doubles career spanning well over a decade. Independence Day Special: 8 Indians Who Made India Proud Globally.

These were some of the highlights of achievements of Indian athletes over the years and the future is only bright with the athletes getting the right environment to flourish. Some of the sports that were insignificant a few years ago is gaining importance and it just a matter of time when the right results start coming in.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2018 09:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).