“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” — the opening words of a tale of two cities are a good summary of the last decade in Indian sports.
Some incredible highs, some low lows. Heroes born, heroes-turned-villains, the years 2000-09 could go down in history as among the most memorable ones in Indian sport, for a variety of reasons. Here’s a look at the best and the worst of the decade.
CRICKET’S DARKEST HOUR
While allegations of matches being fixed were not first made in this decade, things turned ugly when the late South African captain Hansie Cronje admitted to having taken money from bookies. The repercussions of Cronje’s confession led to former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin being banned from all forms of cricket. Others like Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar were suspended from playing cricket for five years, effectively ending their careers. While all of them pleaded not guilty, the scandal cast a dark cloud over the future of cricket, with a nationwide uproar against the cricketers in question. And while the game has recovered handsomely, Azhar has become a Member of Parliament.
GETTING SHIRTY
Among Sourav Ganguly’s many notable achievements there is one act, performed back in 2002, which will be remembered for generations to come. After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against England, the Indian captain took off his shirt on the Lord’s balcony and made a statement of intent. It was no coincidence that it was under Ganguly’s leadership that India shed its image of “lions at home, lambs abroad”. Ganguly created a siege mentality within the team, and he is the most successful Indian captain of all time. And you could say that it all started after he took his shirt off!
THE BREAKUP
Long one of the most formidable doubles pairs in world tennis, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi decided to split in the summer of 2000. Many attempts at reconciliation were made and the duo represented the country at the Asian Games and Olympics, as well as the Davis Cup. But the frosty relationship continued for most of the decade, and one can’t help but wonder what might have been if they had continued to play together. Both have continued their successful careers with other partners.
HITTING THE BULL’S EYE
Shooting is one sport that has flourished in the country in this decade. And that can be credited to Major Rajyavardhan Rathore, who won the silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Not many had heard of Rathore before his heroics at Athens, but that made him a national hero. Since then, India has performed wonderfully well, winning 11 medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Shooters like Gagan Narang have done the country proud, and experts are backing him as a success story at the 2012 London Olympics.
MONEY MEETS CRICKET
India became the power centre of world cricket in this decade. Its position was strengthened further with the inception of IPL. Cricket’s idea of replicating the success of EPL and NBA has been lapped up by one and all, be it a celebrity owner like Shah Rukh Khan or Vijay Mallya, or the advertisers and broadcasters. The game now has money on a scale not seen before. The idea of franchisees, player auctions, creating a sense of tribalism and, above all, giving the sport some glitz and glamour certainly seemed to have worked. So much so that it has almost sounded the death knell for the one-day format. Purists might dismiss IPL as a money-making exercise but, like it or not, it is here to stay.
MOTO MANIA
You may have forgotten Narain Karthikeyan, but he must be one of the biggest success stories of the decade. So what if he didn’t win a race or even manage to get a single point during his stint in Formula 1? He still put India on the motorsport map, and his stint in F1 opened doors for other young drivers to pursue their F1 dreams. Vijay Mallya’s decision to buy an F1 team has also added to the growing F1 phenomenon in the country. While Force India — Mallya’s team — endured a disappointing debut campaign, they quieted the nay-sayers with their performance in the 2008-09 season.
LIVING THE BEIJING DREAM
2008 could be called one of the best years in the history of Indian sport, thanks to the Beijing Olympics. Abhinav Bindra won a gold medal in shooting, while boxer Vijender Singh and weightlifter Sushil Kumar won bronze medals, to record India’s best ever tally at the Olympics. Bindra was always touted as one of the finest shooters in the country, and he lived up to his reputation in Beijing. Singh and his fellow boxers’ efforts have seen boxing as a sport grow in the country. Beijing has also given a sign to corporates that investing in talent is a viable option.
STAR SHUTTLER
If Pullela Gopi Chand did the country proud in 2001 by winning the All-England Championships, then his famous pupil has been the shining star of the latter half of the decade. Saina Nehwal came into the limelight in 2006 with some great performances, but it was 2008 that cemented her place among India’s finest sporting talents. She missed out on a medal in Beijing, but became the first Indian woman to crack the top-10 rankings in the world. The next decade could be a glorious one for her and for Indian badminton. She is our biggest hope at the London Olympics.
GREEN ECONOMY
If in the 1990s you had told someone that an Indian golfer would make it to the top 50 in the world, you would have been laughed at. Not any more. Thanks to Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa, golf in India is today an extremely popular sport. It was Singh who broke the shackles in 2006 by having a phenomenal year and cracking the top 50. Singh also went on to win the Asian Order of Merit and has been one of the most consistent golfers on the continent. Randhawa has also performed admirably, and broken into the top 100. What this success has led to is an increase in the number of golf courses in the country and a line of budding golfers. It has also given fans other sporting heroes to look up to, apart from cricketers.
RECORD-BREAKER
You can’t have a sporting list of the decade without including Sachin Tendulkar in it. Tendulkar continued to plunder runs and break records, and in the process he completed two decades in the sport. He won’t be around for too much of the next decade, though, so enjoy each innings — a phenomenon like him is rare.
SPECIAL MENTION
Viswanathan Anand, for being one of the greatest Indians in sports. Sania Mirza, for breaking into the top 50 in women’s tennis — a bit more luck with injuries and more consistent performance, and she could have been the star of the decade. M S Dhoni, for winning the T20 World Cup. The Indian cricket team for claiming the number one spot in the world rankings.
