The numbers that mattered for Indian sports in 2008 • 01.01.09
The taste of gold after so long
3
The number of medals that India won at the Beijing Olympics – the best ever haul and equal to the combined tally of the last 6 Olympics. The happiest, most memorable Olympics ever. Bindra, Sushil and Vijender won the medals and Akhil and Saina won hearts.
2-0
The score line in the final of the triangular series in Australia and in the home test series against the same opponents. Both were landmark moments for Indian cricket.
6.5 -4.5
The victory margin for Vishwanathan Anand against Vladimir Kramnik in the World Championship Match –up in the classic format. The media might call this another world title for the Chess maestro but the real aficionado will tell you that this one mattered more than anything. Anand thus became only the second non-Russian to become world champion in the classic format.
18
The number of Olympics that India’s streak of playing in the hockey event of the quadrennial event lasted, before we suffered the ignominy of missing out in Beijing. And based on what’s happened after, there is a good chance that we could start a new streak – one of missing out
4-1
The score line in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup as India humbled Tajikistan. For once, India’s football side had the entire nation glued to attention as they went on a rare winning run which culminated in the title triumph and qualification for the Asian Cup after 24 long years. Start making plans for 2011.
36 and 9
Like in 2008, Jeev Milkha Singh had won 4 tournaments in 2006 also. But 2008 saw Jeev become the first Indian to have a top ten finish in a major, when he finished 9th in the PGA Championship. The other highlight for Milkha Singh’s son was achieving a career-best world ranking of 36. Like the golfer, we have also started dreaming of winning a major.
10
This was the year-end world ranking of Saina Nehwal – India’s shining new hope in badminton. Saina
Has taken major strides this year – narrowly missed an Olympic medal, won the world juniors and made a semi-final appearance at the BWF World Masters. Prakash Padukone sees a future world number one in her and we don’t disagree with the great man
0 and 0
The number of Indian drivers in the Force India Formula One side and the number of points won by ‘India’s’ team in formula one. Not seeing an Indian in the driving seat was disappointing and therefore the zero points didn’t hurt so much.
83
The most brilliant cricket innings played by an Indian player in 2008. There have been far bigger ones but nothing comes close to Virender Sehwag’s effort in terms of sheer audacity and eventual impact on the outcome of the game. Indian cricket’s most memorable non-century innings ever.
204
The year- end rank of the new hope of Indian men’s tennis – Somdev Dev Varman. This young man has been a professional tennis player for only six months and is already our highest ranked singles player. He has all the game, the physique and the mind to make it big. And he also has the support of all Indian tennis fans.
2
The number of gold medals won by India at the World Junior Chess Championships. India thus became the first country to win both the boys and girls titles. Dronavalli Harika and Abhijeet Gupta reflect the growing power of Indian chess –Vishy is the king and there are pretenders galore
2500000
The total prize money in dollars at the Emaar MGF Indian Masters – the first European Tour sanctioned event to be played in India. Having this tournament in India was clearly a sign of India’s growing stature in golf
4
The number of Indian players in the top-50 of men’s badminton. Led by world no 15 Chetan Anand and nurtured by Padukone and Pullela Gopichand, India has a decent program in place and a steady stream of good players coming through. I always wonder, why, in spite of all this, badminton has not become a darling of the sponsors, the fans and the media.
4 and 4
The number of World titles won by women’s boxer MC Mary Kom and the number of medals won by the men at the first AIBA World Cup. After years of promise, the medals have finally started to come. The recruitment of a South African physio and a Cuban coach has played no small part. It’s imperative that we make the most of this momentum
3
The number of sports federations headed by Suresh Kalmadi – Athletics, Olympics and now Hockey. He is also in charge of the Delhi Commonwealth Games which are in serious danger of being moved to a new location owing to the glaring delays in meeting project timelines. I will say nothing about his performance though.
2
The rank of India’s richest sports fan on the Forbes billionaire list. Lakshmi Mittal and his son-in-law Amit Bhatia have proven to be true sports fans – they were moved by India’s sporting plight and decided to make a meaningful contribution. The Mittal’s Champions Trust was born – it intends to support and fund talented sportspersons and potential Olympic medal winners to enable them to access the best specialists in the world, so that they can compete with the best in the world on a level playing field. With a list of beneficiaries that includes Saina Nehwal, Abhinav Bindra, Akhil Kumar and Joshna Chinnappa, they are already making a difference.
115000000
The number of dollars paid by Mukesh Ambani to own the Mumbai franchise of the IPL – clearly a measure of the hype and possible potential of the league. The IPL lived up to all the hype and unleashed a creature which could change most of the paradigms of the game of cricket.
6-1
The score by which Pankaj Advani beat eight time World Champion Geet Sethi in the final of the IBSF World Billiards Championships. This was in true sense a passing of the baton, from a legend of the green baize to one capable of being a true successor.
147+47
Ronjon Sodhi’s world-record equalling score which also made him the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in the double trap event at the World Cup. It was unfortunate that this brilliant shooter could not find an Olympic berth. Sodhi along with Bindra and Gagan Narang are the stars of Indian shooting in 2008.
