Independence Day: Tracking 75 glorious moments in Indian sports, Part 2

Tracking 75 glorious moments in Indian sports on the 75th Independence Day, here is a compilation of some of India's memorable achievements in team sports.

Published : Aug 15, 2021 10:28 IST

<b>Mankad’s Test (Lords v England, 1952)</b>: Vinoo Mankad plays a shot during a Test match against England at Lord's in 1952, which later came to be known as 'Mankad's Test'. The all-rounder scored 72 and 184 in his two innings and claimed five wickets in a losing cause, becoming the first Indian to score a century at the venue and the only cricketer to have his name on the Honours Board for performances with both bat and ball. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES

Rusi Surti cuts a ball to the boundary en route to 99 in the historic fourth Test match against New Zealand on March 11, 1968. India went on to win the match by 272 runs and registered its first-ever away Test series victory, beating the host 3-1.

<b>1975 Hockey World championships</b>: Captain of the Indian hockey team Ajit Pal Singh holds the Hockey World Cup trophy after defeating Pakistan 2-1 in the final and securing India's first-ever title on March 15, 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES

<b>Bengaluru FC in AFC final</b>: Bengaluru FC players celebrate with captain Sunil Chhetri after winning the 2016 AFC Cup semifinal against Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim. With the win, it became the first Indian team ever to reach the final of the tournament. - K. MURALI KUMAR

<b>Series win vs England, 1971</b>: England: India's BS Chandrasekhar is mobbed by fans after he bundled out England for 101 in the second innings with figures of 6-38, leaving India in a comfortable position to win a historic Test match and wrap-up its first Test series win in England. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES

<b>Series win vs West Indies, 1971</b>: West Indies' Gary Sobers (R) congratulates Abid Ali (L) and Sunil Gavaskar after India won the second Test at Port of Spain on March 11, 1971. The victory marked India's first Test win against the West Indies and was a turning point in Indian cricket as the team went on to claim the series 1-0, owing to debutant Sunil Gavaskar's heroics. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES

<b>1983 World Cup triumph</b>: Kapil Dev's India announced itself as a global cricketing powerhouse by lifting the 1983 World Cup after beating two-time world champion the West Indies in the final at Lord's in England on June 25, 1983. - GETTY IMAGES

<b>World Championship of Cricket, 1985)</b>: A jubilant Indian team celebrates its eight-wicket victory over archrival Pakistan in the final of the World Championship of Cricket, dubbed as mini-World Cup, on March 10, 1985 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

<b>Sunil Gavaskar, 10,000 runs</b>: Sunil Gavaskar waves his bat in celebration as he becomes the first cricketer to reach 10,000 Test runs and breach the five-digit mark against Pakistan in Ahmedabad on March 07, 1987. - S. KOTHANDARAMAN

<b>Kapil Dev's exploits</b>: Kapil Dev (Centre) overtook New Zealander Sir Richard Hadlee's record of 431 Test wickets in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad on February 8, 1994, when he had Hashan Tillakaratne caught by Sanjay Manjrekar. After breaking the record, the Indian all-rounder went on to play one more Test and ended his career with 434 wickets, as he became the only player to score 5000-plus runs and pick 400 plus wickets. - N. Sridharan

<b>World T20 win, 2007</b>: India surpassed everyone’s expectations by reaching the finals of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Facing Pakistan in the finals was an icing on the cake, as the men in blue had defeated Pakistan in the league match. With six runs remaining off four balls and one wicket in hand, Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq skied Joginder Sharma with Shanthakumaran Sreesanth holding on to the catch to give India a thrilling victory by five runs and its first T20 World Cup trophy. - Getty Images

<b>2011 World Cup victory</b>: On April 2, 2011, the Indian cricket team brought home the most sought after World Cup after 28 years. The Indian team captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni defeated Sri Lanka in the finals by six wickets at the Wakhede Stadium, Mumbai. With four runs remaining off 11 deliveries, the Indian captain hit a magnificent six off Nawan Kulasekara to ensure India got its second World Cup win after 1983. - K.R. Deepak

<b>Maiden series win (both Tests and ODIs) against Pakistan, 2004</b>: The Indian cricket team toured Pakistan in 2004. Prior to this tour, India had never won a Test series in Pakistan and had won the ODI series 15 years back. The five-match Samsung Cup (ODI) was locked at 2-2 heading into the final in Lahore. V. V. S. Laxman hammered a ton as India reached 293 for 7. In reply, Pakistan could only score 253 runs as India won the match by 40 runs and series 3-2. The results were no different in the three-match Test series as Virender Sehwag’s heroics helped India win the series 2-1. - S. Subramanium

<b>Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international century</b>: Sachin Tendulkar reacts after becoming the first cricketer to score hundred centuries in international cricket. The Indian batsman achieved this feat against Bangladesh during the ODI Asia Cup match on March 16, 2012, in Dhaka. Sachin is the highest run-scorer in international cricket and is the first batsman to score a double hundred in One Day International cricket. - AFP

<b>Anil Kumble’s ten wicket haul</b>: On February 7, 1999 Indian spin legend Anil Kumble claimed a 10-wicket haul against Pakistan in the second innings of the second Test match at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, New Delhi. He become the second cricketer, first from India, to achieve the feat; behind England offie Jim Laker (10/53). Kumble's feat helped India win the Test match by 212 runs. - The Hindu Archives

<b>Virender Sehwag's triple century</b>: Virender Sehwag became the first Indian to score a triple-century in Tests when he pulverized Pakistan into submission in Multan on March 29, 2004. After this innings, he was nicknamed, 'Multan ka Sultan'. This innings of Sehwag helped India win the first of the three Test matches against Pakistan by an innings and 52 runs. Later, India went on to win the Test series 2-1 and Sehwag won the player of the series award for his brilliant performance. - S. Subramanium

<b>Rahul – Laxman partnership vs Australia</b>: March 14, 2001 saw one of the most memorable partnerships by two Indian batting stalwarts - Rahul Dravid and V.V.S Laxman - against Australia in the second innings (follow-on) of the second Test match at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. They batted throughout Day 4 and helped India reach a formidable score of 657/7 (declared) on Day 5. With the Aussies needing 384 runs to win on the final day, they were all out for 212 runs and handed India a stunning comeback win despite being asked to follow-on. This win ended Australia’s winning streak of 16 Tests and helped the host draw the three Test series 1-1. The men in blue eventually went on to win the series 2-1. - PTI

<b>Mithali Raj, highest scorer in ODIs</b>: On July 2017, Mithali Raj became the first woman batter to cross 6,000 runs in ODIs. On July 2021, she surpassed former England captain Charlotte Edwards to become the highest run-getter across formats. They are the only two women cricketers who have more than 10000 runs. India's Test and ODI captain averages a staggering 51.80 in the 50-over format. - Getty Images

<b>Jhulan Goswami, first to get to 200 ODI wickets</b>: On May 2017, Jhulan Goswami became the highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals (ODIs) in women’s cricket by picking up 181 wickets in 153 matches. She bettered the record on Feb 2018, as she became the first woman bowler to claim 200 wickets in ODIs. The veteran pace bowler achieved the feat in the second one-dayer against South Africa at Kimberley. - Reuters

Photo: The Hindu Archives

August 3, 2002: Golden goals, a golden victory and a whole lot of drama - this is India's women's hockey campaign in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in a nutshell. The side had hit a purple patch with favourable results and good form. All that ended neatly with a maiden gold medal to show for it when India beat England in a high-octane final in Manchester. After a 2-2 scoreline at the end of regulation, Mamta Kharab struck in the dying moments of the first half of extra time - a golden goal - which was initially disallowed to help India nudge its way to a 3-2 victory. The win was one of the influences for the Shahrukh Khan starrer Chak De! India.

Photo: Vino John

December 19, 1998: For every hockey fan, the fact that someone like Dhanraj Pillay finished his career without an Olympic medal is a sore sport. However, the hockey legend did lead India to its first Asian Games gold medal in 32 years in Bangkok. While India had a relatively smooth run throygh the tournament, South Korea stretched the side to the very end with the final going into penalties. Pillay led from the front, ending as top scorer in the tournament after netting 11 of India's 24 goals.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

October 1, 1986: Indian men's volleyball has enjoyed decent success at the Asian Games level. One of those moments was this bronze medal victory for the side in Seoul. A strong show in the group stages ensured India finished just behind South Korea in pool A. Losses against the latter and China put India out of contention for top honours but a victory over Japan ensured the side did not return without a medal. It was India's first Asian Games medal in 24 years since the Jakarta Games in 1962. India has not made the podium in the sport at this level since.

Photo: The Hindu Archives

September 28, 1990: The Asian Games saw Kabaddi being added as a discipline in the 1990 edition held in Beijing. India staked first claim to the yellow metal, beating Pakistan 48-13 to claim top honours. It triggered an era of dominance for the Indian men's side - with the nation going on to win every edition of the Games except most recently at Jakarta when India fell to Iran in the semifinal, missing the summit clash for the first time in Asiad history. The 2022 edition will see a restless Indian side looking to set the record straight and get back to a gold rush.

<b>Yuvraj Singh's six 6s</b>: Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh provided a spectacular batting performance by smashing England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in the ICC World Twenty20 match at the Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban on September 19, 2007. India won the match by 18 runs, stayed in contention for the semifinals and went on to win the inaugural T20 World Cup. - Reuters

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<b>Mankad’s Test (Lords v England, 1952)</b>: Vinoo Mankad plays a shot during a Test match against England at Lord's in 1952, which later came to be known as 'Mankad's Test'. The all-rounder scored 72 and 184 in his two innings and claimed five wickets in a losing cause, becoming the first Indian to score a century at the venue and the only cricketer to have his name on the Honours Board for performances with both bat and ball. - THE HINDU ARCHIVES
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