Sports achievements in the past decade
In the past decade, India's big sporting moments include the 2007 WT20 victory, 2008 Beijing Olympics where Abhinav Bindra clinched the only ever individual Gold for India, in shooting, and the ICC World Cup in 2011. It also includes 6 medals, highest so far, won by India at 2012 Olympics - 2 silver, 4 bronze; a fifth world Championship for Viswanathan Anand in 2012.
Sports in India
While India had a 'culture of sports' much before Independence, under the patronage of Kings and princes of the time, popular sports in today's age are mostly the ones introduced by the British - cricket, football, hockey, badminton, tennis. For the world's second biggest populous country, India on the international front, has less to show for, in terms of its achievements.
The Golden Age of Hockey
Much before the advent of cricket as the most viewed sport of India, hockey captured the imagination of the nation as early as in 1928. Indian Hockey team won a total of 8 Olympic gold medals between 1928-1980, five of which were won after India's independence - 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1980 Olympics. The 1980 Moscow title remains the last golden campaign.
Football flourish in 1950s
Apart from hockey, football was the other dominant sport in early years after independence. The game reached the pinnacle of success in the 1950s. In 1950, India qualified for World Cup and in 1951 it won the Asian games. India became the first Asian team to reach an Olympics semis at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. It also won another Asian games in 1962.
The moment when India won Cricket World Cup
The 1983 cricket World Cup, can rightly be called the seminal event that changed the history of sports in years that followed. Led by Kapil Dev, Indian team won the World Cup beating West Indies in the final, at the Lord's cricket stadium in London. Gradually cricket took over as the nation's biggest sport to become part of everyday social life.
Some of the momentous individual achievements
While recounting individual achievements in sports since independence, one cannot miss KD Jadhav. Jadhav was free India's 1st individual Olympic medallist who won a bronze in freestyle wrestling at the 1952 Olympics. Then there is the 'Flying Sikh' Milka Singh whose many accomplishments include four gold medals at Asian Games and an epic run at the 1960 Olympics, where he missed bronze medal narrowly.
More achievements
PT Usha is an athlete who inspired a generation of young women to take up athletics. She was the first Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event at 1984 Olympics, where she came 4th. The bronze medal won by Leander paes in 1996 Olympics is memorable considering it is the only ever Olympic medal won by India in tennis.
Kabaddi achievements
India won all the 7 Kabaddi 'World Cups in Men's category' since 2004. The last win was in 2014. They also won the last seven Asian Games. Women's team won the three World Cups since 2012.
