Sports 2024: Fields of glory for India

Cricket:

T20 Cup returns to India under Rohit Sharma's inspirational leadership

India's 17-year wait finally ended with Rohit Sharma and his men winning a thrilling final encounter against South Africa to clinch the T20 World for the second time in the tournament's history. India had won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007 under the leadership of Indian cricket icon MS Dhoni.

Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli-Ravindra Jadeja end shinning T20 career

Moments after the Indian team won the T20 World Cup in West Indies by beating a spirited South African squad, Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli, heroic skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder icon Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from the shortest format of the game, ending an era in the country's cricketing history.

Surya Kumar Yadav becomes India's new T20 captain

After Rohit Sharma decided to retire from T20 cricket after leading his country to an eventful title victory, Suryakumar Yadav, whose heartstopping catch in the final over helped India win the title, was named the skipper of the shortest format of the game.

Fans must wait for another two years to see how Yadav, popularly known as 'Mr. 360' delivers as a leader and prepares India to defend the T20 title in 2026.

India loses home series after 12 years

Despite shining in the shortest format, the Indian Test squad suffered a shocking defeat in the home series against New Zealand, ending the 12-year-winning streak enjoyed by the national team. India's shocking 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand was one of the low points in the Indian cricket team's 2024 journey. The defeat also slipped India's position in the World Test Championship and disrupted hope of qualifying for the final.

After New Zealand, India flew to Australia to play the Border-Gavaskar Trophy where under stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah's leadership the national team won the first match against the hosts. The happiness, however, was short lived, after Australia beat India in the second match, which was played in Day-Night format, to level the series 1-1.

Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma become father again

Indian cricket icons Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma welcomed their second child this year and made 2024 memorable forever. On February 15, Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma announced the birth of their second child 'Akaay'. Their first daughter Vamika was born in 2021.

Rohit Sharma shared the good news to his fans at the fag end of the year when he welcomed his baby boy on November 15. Rohit and his wife Ritika Sajdeh named their son Ahaan. Their daughter Samaira was born in 2018.

Jay Shah era begins in ICC

Jay Shah began his tenure as International Cricket Council Chairman this year. He has previously served as the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) since 2019.

Indian Premier League title goes to KKR

Gautam Gambhir led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL victories and now after several years, the title returned home when Shreyas Iyer's squad defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad to clinch the cash-rich tournament for the third time.

Rishabh Pant shatters IPL record books

Rishabh Pant may be known for his brilliant cricketing performance but in 2024 he joined the record books for a different reason when he became the most expensive player to be bought during an Indian Premier League action.

Lucknow Super Giants joined him on their squad by paying a whopping sum of Rs. 27 crores. Rishabh's journey from recovering from a deadly car accident to rebuilding his brilliant career is a story of inspiration.

Champions Trophy controversy

India's unwillingness to travel to Pakistan to play in the Champions Trophy sparked yet another controversy in the world of cricket in 2024 and still no solution could be reached. Pakistan will be hosting the ICC event in 2025 but India's refusal to travel across the border has put the future of the tournament in doubt. Jay Shah will need to find a quick solution to end the impasse around the tournament.

India's Olympic journey

India sent a strong 117-member contingent to hunt for medals in the ongoing Oscars 2024. Overall, India won one silver and five bronze medals in the iconic sporting event.

Manu Bhaker won the first bronze medal to begin India's winning race. The Indian shooter returned home with two bronze medals. She became the first Indian female shooter to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics.

In the mixed team 10m air pistol event, Bhaker clinched the bronze medal with fellow Indian shooter Sarabjot Singh.

Shooters shined bright in this edition of the Olympics with Swapnil Kusale adding the third medal of the historic event.

Indian golden boy Neeraj Chopra failed to defend the yellow medal but managed to bring home the silver. He lost the gold medal to Pakistani athlete Arshad Nadeem.

The Indian hockey team left fans elated with its spirited performance in this edition of the Olympics by clinching the bronze medal.

Aman Sehrawat bagged a bronze medal for India in the 2024 edition, further increasing the country's medal tally.

Heartbreak

Veteran Olympian Vinesh Phogat suffered a heartbreak after she reached the Olympics wrestling final. Her journey took an unexpected turn when was disqualified for exceeding weight by 100 grams.

She later announced her retirement from the game.

Paralympians shine

The Paralympics witnessed the tricolour shining brightly with the athletes winning 29 medals. The tally remained 10 more than Tokyo records.

Tennis:

Rohan Bopanna clinches Australian Open

Indian Tennis player Rohan Bopanna took 61 attempts and tried with multiple partners before he could finally clinch the Australian Open men's doubles final on January 27.

Bopanna became one of the oldest players to win the double's title at the age of 43. Bopanna and Matthew Abden started the year on a winning note and gave Indians positive news to begin the new year.

Rafael Nadal bids adieu

Leaving his fans saddened and itching evergreen memories, Spanish Tennis great Rafael Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles in his life, retired from the game after playing the Davis Cup final.

Chess:

D Gukesh becomes youngest Indian World Chess Champion

Indians ended the year on yet another positive note after grandmaster D Gukesh, 18, became the youngest player to win the World Chess Championship by beating defending champion Ding Liren after competing in a closely fought 14-round encounter.

Football:

Charge of Spanish Brigade

Spanish Armada returned to capture Europe by beating England in the Euro Cup final. England's wait to win a major title in the men's edition continues with the last significant trophy won by the side dating back to 1966 when 'The Three Lions' won the World Cup.

(Photo Courtesy: Virat Kohli Instagram page, BCCI X page, Narendra Modi X page, Rohan Bopanna Instagram page,Manu Bhaker Instagram page, Avishek Mitra/IBNS, Rishabh Pant Instagram page, Suryakumar Yadav Instagram page)