India is a country where sports are given high reverence and is treated as a religion. It holds a deep place in the hearts of many knitted with strong bonds. Cricket is undoubtedly the most famous sport and creates a mania among the masses. Likewise, there are several sports which bring out that enigmatic stroke to enliven the soul.
Let’s enlighten some sports which are played with humongous zeal in India:
1. Cricket
More than a ritual, cricket is watched in every household, and every child is brought up playing this mandate game over the years. There are millions of Sachin, Dhoni, and Virat from every house. The craze for cricket pushes all the bars and is played with exuberance. The most popular sport since decades, cricket lives in many ways through, IPL (Indian Premier League), ICL (Indian Cricket League), ODI (one day international), test match so much and so forth. India has performed incredibly on international grounds and wobbled the heads of many nations. The Indian cricket team has won CRICKET WORLD CUP twice (1983 and 2011). T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Cricket is being looked after by BCCI, which in fact, is the richest cricket board in the world.
2. Badminton
Badminton is another famous sport played in India and is gaining popularity. Badminton is managed by Badminton Association of India. Prakash Padukone, the father of Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone has been a legendary famous Badminton player for India. The rising star who has lately brought laurels to the country in many international championships is Saina Nehwal.
3. Soccer
The Indian National Football team is managed by the All India Football Federation AIFF. Since 1948, AIFF has been affiliated by FIFA, the international governing body for football. Football has been played in India at all levels, but it has not brought big achievements on the international platform. A widely played game in the country with many followers, it may one day prove its standard on the international ground.
4. Hockey
Hockey is undoubtedly the national sport of the country and yes we have proved it in history. India has won the international title in 1975 with the World Cup Hockey Tournament held at Malaysia. The great Dhyan Chand was a phenomenal player of Hockey, who is considered to be an ace player of all time.
5. Athletics
India is a land which has given birth to ace athletics who have made the country proud in some way or the other. Anju Bobby George, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Milkha Singh, Norman Pritchard, P.T. Usha, and T.C. Yohannan are some of India’s most successful athletes. It takes us back to the pre-colonial era where people engaged themselves in several track and field athletic events. However, sky is no limit and we would like to see our athletes rise.
6. Tennis
Tennis is the new word of mouth for many after the successful performance of the ace players who are budding and blooming across the globe. From Sania Mirza to Leander Paes, they have acquired world records and placed themselves at good ranking. This game was imported to India by Englishmen and gave rise to some magnum of players.
7. Chess
Whenever one thinks of Chess, the name of world champion GM Vishwanathan Anand pops up. His tremendous performance and highly triggered brain activity shoots best for him and given him this humongous glory. It is Anand who has made chess so popular in the country.
8. Table Tennis
A popular indoor game, Table tennis is quite popular in the lives of many and yes even in corporate sector. With little resources it is ready to be played anywhere. To keep the system moving, yes Table tennis is a sport which could be played in singles or doubles. It is managed by Table Tennis Federation of India.
9. Wrestling
Wrestling has been in Indian blood from the ancient time, where it was practiced for generating arm power. It is also known as malla-yuddha. However, it is quite popular in the country but youngsters from rural part of the country are putting their contribution more in this endeavor. From the Great Khali there is Sushil Kumar who won Silver in 2012 London Olympics.
10. Basketball
Basketball is another game that has remained quite popular game among Indian youngsters. Team India celebrated its most recent title at the 2014 Lusofonia Games after they finished the tournament with a 4-0 record and beat Angola in the final.
Lest we forget India has many more sports to offer on a world stage, this diversity has reflected this nation with vividness and amalgamation of several sports.
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