Indian Sports Recap 2021: Reliving some of the action from the year gone by
As the year ends, this reminds me of a tradition the newspaper I read used to do- a sort of recap for the year just gone by, and what to look forward to in the year that is to come. So, I also thought of doing something similar, to try and encapsulate the tidbits in a (hopefully) engaging manner. So here goes nothing:
Winner: Neeraj Chopra
This is the obvious way to start the list of- India’s first Olympic gold in 13 years and only the second-ever individual gold medal for India in the Olympics. Earmarked as a medal hopeful since 2016, when he threw an Olympic final standard throw (albeit one month after the qualifying cutoff), he had won gold in both the Asian and Commonwealth Games, raising expectations he could get the yellow metal for the country in the biggest stage as well. He was outstanding in the qualifiers, needing just a single throw to comfortably qualify for the final. He came in the clutch (an unusual experience for an Indian sports fan), getting the lead in the first round and peaking at 87.58m in the second throw. The rest of the field, including Johannes Vetter who had thrown 90+ in other competitions, could not rise to the occasion and failed to beat Neeraj Chopra, clinching India’s first gold in Tokyo on the last day of India’s Olympic participation.
Loser: Controversies at the Olympics
One of the many factors that hold back Indian sport, according to many, is the off-field controversies that plague Indian sport. Ego clashes amongst the elite sports athletes (remember Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati fighting to see who pairs up with Sania Mirza?) or administration interferences (nepotism and corruption in sports bodies, VIPs given better treatment in international events than athletes and coaches) are very commonplace and things get worse down the pyramid.
In Tokyo alone, we had Manika Batra accusing her coach of fixing the group stage matches in table tennis and not seeking his help as a result of the same, wrestler Vinesh Phogat training separately from the rest of the contingent, Mary Kom being knocked out of what was possibly her last Olympics in a controversial fashion with the judges giving a very close call, Deepak Punia’s foreign coach assaulting the referee after his ward had lost in wrestling and shooting starlet Manu Bhaker’s equipment malfunctioning causing a medal hope to underperform badly in the women’s 10m air pistol event.
Winners: Indian Hockey
It hasn’t been so long since the Indian hockey team(s) have reached the heady heights we have seen. For the men, it is a return to the podium for the first time since 1980- where India won the hockey gold in a weakened field due to the US-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics. For the women, however, this was unprecedented heights. The group stages did not indicate the historic performance, scraping through in 4th place having lost to the likes of GB, Netherlands, and Germany. They were to face the strong Australian side in the quarters but performed their lives to shut out the Aussies and keep a clean sheet in a 1–0 win. The close semi-final defeat to Argentina broke many hearts, and even though GB won the bronze medal match, both games were tightly contested and the girls gave their best. The men’s team was formidable in the group stage, finishing second with wins over NZ, Argentina, Spain, and a massive loss to Australia (1–7) to cap off that stage. A strong win over GB in the quarters raised hopes which were dashed in a 2–5 loss in the semifinals to Belgium, but the men shook off the disappointment with a 5–4 thriller over Germany to get the bronze medal. A great year for Indian hockey, which was bookended with a disappointing defense of the Asian Champions Trophy, losing in the semifinals to Japan but winning bronze in the play-off match against Pakistan.
Loser: Sushil Kumar
One of India’s only multiple Olympic medallists (along with PV Sindhu who reached the milestone with a bronze in 2020), Sushil Kumar was hailed as an inspiration within the Indian wrestling community. Yet, in May 2021, he was arrested for the murder of wrestler Sagar Dhankad at the Chattrasal Stadium in Delhi. It is known that many wrestlers who do not reach the international stage or hit the jackpot tend to be part of gangs as they are physically intimidating from their years in the akhadas. But the fact that Sushil Kumar, a highly influential public figure, also ended up in a similar predicament and resorts to the thuggery of this order is surprising and not surprising at the same time. Surprisingly, there was video evidence of him threatening and beating up Sagar and other people (recorded to send a message to others). Unsurprising in that he has precedence for this. In 2016, he had moved from 66 to 74kg category but had not participated in trials or competitions for the Olympic quota which was won by Narsingh Yadav. Sushil tried to strong-arm the Wrestling Federation of India into organizing a special trial to see who takes the spot for Rio 2016 (not uncommon that someone can get to participate even if someone else had won the slot for the country) but they did not relent and the courts agreed with them. There have been signs he is not a man of remorse and this incident proved just that. It is to hope that others like Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Bajrang Punia, and Yogeshwar Dutt prove to be more of a role model for the Indian Wrestling community.
Winner: Women in Sport
For the best part of the Olympic campaign, the ladies took the world by storm by giving some incredible performances. Mirabai Chanu kicked off things in style on Day 1, winning the silver medal in the 49kg weightlifting competition. PV Sindhu and Lovlina Borgohain won bronze in badminton and boxing. As alluded to earlier, we had a spectacular showing by the ladies in hockey, with veteran Rani Rampal, Vandana Katariya, and Gurjit Kaur amongst others showing that no barrier is too strong for them. Aditi Ashok had a strong showing in golf, staying in medal contention till the very end and narrowly missing out on winning a medal but pushing her illustrious rivals to the very end.
This is just scratching the surface, as we also saw the Indian women's football team prepare for the Asian Cup with an exposure trip to South America to face legendary Brazil (Manisha Kalyan scoring in a 6–1 defeat) amongst other teams. Gokulam Kerala Women’s team also took part in the AFC Women’s Club Championship, returning with a win against FC Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan. The Indian women’s cricket team also continued its upward spiral with a win in Australia to end the Aussie women’s long winning streak in the ODIs, and the Indian women continue to impress in the Big Bash and the Hundred (domestic competitions in Australia and England respectively) with the likes of Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur and Poonam Yadav making the case for a full-fledged women’s IPL which will happen at some point in the future.
Loser: Indian shooting and archery teams
Earmarked for great things in the Olympics, there were huge expectations on the archers and shooters to win big for India. From the experienced Deepika Kumari who has held World №1 positions in archery, to the up-and-coming Manu Bhaker in shooting, there was the hope of some of them coming through. Yet, under the pressure of the public watching as well the special stature of the Olympics, many World gold-winning athletes succumbed to the pressure and failed to hit the mark. This was then followed by the bad news that shooting and archery would not be included in the Commonwealth Games 2022 to be held in Birmingham for logistical reasons (the nearest archery range is 130km away from the city). This is not great news for Indian fans (with the medal tally certain to take a huge hit, with the Indian hockey team already planning to skip the CWG for the Asian Games as an Olympic spot is on the line) or for the athletes as they need the medals and prestige to get rewards and secure their futures. There would be a shooting competition held separately in India in early 2022 but this would be mere consolation for the athletes.
Winner: Indian Paralympic Contingent
Here’s a list of the medallists from the 2020 Paralympics from India, since typing all the names out would not be practical (would love if we could do this more often):
With this, we managed to finish in the Top 25 of the world charts for the first time at a global scale event. It was a truly magnificent performance by the athletes, as well as for the increased efforts in the Paralympic movement, with the integration into the TOPS scheme proving beneficial for the para-athletes. While there remains a lot of work to be done in doing more for the disabled for our country, this will no doubt show the general public that these para-athletes are just as capable of jaw-dropping sporting excellence as the normally abled athletes.
Loser: Vinod Kumar medal lost due to administrative negligence
As alluded to before, we have had some athletes affected by a lack of due diligence from the administrators. There is a complicated procedure to allocate various classes to para-athletes, depending on the extent and type of disability and it turns out even during the Paralympics, Kumar was still not given the full go-ahead to participate in the F52 discus throw event in which he won bronze. The international body then ruled after the event that he was not eligible to take part in the event (after the event took place) as he could not be classified- while the PCI (Paralympic Committee of India) say his status was under review and there are suggestions Kumar was not in the loop about this. It is difficult to say who is in the wrong here, but clearly, Vinodh Kumar would be someone who was affected badly by this tug of war between the administrators.
Winner: Dheeraj Singh and FC Goa
In an acknowledgment of the strides made in the Indian football scene in the last few years with the advent of the Indian Super League (ISL), the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) handed India one slot in the AFC Champions League for the team that finished first in the league stage of the ISL. FC Goa was placed in a strong group with Persepolis (Iran), Al-Wahda (UAE), and former French national team coach Laurent Blanc’s Al-Rayyan (Qatar). They gave a strong showing, with three draws in six games, taking the lead in two games (one ended in a loss and a draw each), Brandon Fernandes becoming the first Indian to score an assist in the CL, and 2017 U-17 World Cup star goal-keeper Dheeraj Singh getting 2 clean sheets, making the most saves in the group stage and being included in the AFC Champions League team of the season. All this whilst having the golden team that got them to the CL being transferred to the two uber-rich teams in the league (City Football Group-owned Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan).
Loser: Indian Men’s Football Team
The stability of the Indian Super League belies the fact that the national team has not been able to make significant progress in becoming a footballing nation that can compete with the best of Asia, let alone start looking outwards. Having been able to play no games in the pandemic affected 2020, 2021 started with a chastening reminder of the gulf between the top nations and India, a humbling 6–0 defeat to UAE confirming the same. (There was a narrow 1–0 defeat to 2022 WC hosts Qatar, but they were always in control of the game). Yet, the lowest points of Croatian Igor Stimac’s reign would prove to be the draws against the likes of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, especially when everyone thought India had outgrown the South Asian football scene. India did retain the SAFF Championship but struggled massively to do so, and goal-scoring remains a huge issue. In the ISL where teams prefer to buy a reliable foreign goalscorer, India is still searching for a Sunil Chettri replacement and without his goals, India would find wins hard to come by. Maybe the move to 7 Indians+4 foreigners in the ISL will help India find a striker who gets constant game time for his club.
Winner: Indian Cricket Bench Strength
Having lost the first test of the Border Gavaskar trophy, getting skittled out for a low 36 in the second innings, the onus was on India to recover from that setback and finish strongly in the tour of Australia. Virat Kohli had departed after the first test to be on maternity leave, and it was up to Ajinkya Rahane to lead the side (despite his inconsistent batting form). Despite being decimated by injuries and losing players after every match (20 players played through the course of the four tests, while Australia had the same seam attack for the four matches), India dug deep to level the series with a second test win, held on with the help of Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin’s batting (both with injuries while batting) for a draw in the third test and Rishabh Pant aggressively converted a possible draw to a series win, helping India retain the BG Trophy.
Loser: Virat Kohli
Having not played a part in the BG comeback, he had to lead India in the final of the WTC (World Test Championship) against New Zealand in English conditions. It ended in heartbreak, however, with NZ claiming the first-ever WTC comfortably. To his credit, Kohli and India bounced back, leading England 2–1 in the test series before the final test got postponed to the next year. He could not lead his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore to the final, getting knocked out in the eliminator match. He still had not found his groove with the bat, and an abysmal campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup sealed the fate for Kohli as white-ball captain. With the losses to Pakistan and New Zealand, the other matches proved to be academic in nature, and introspection within BCCI led to an unceremonious and controversial departure for Kohli, with the T20 captaincy being handed to Rohit Sharma, followed by the ODI captaincy bizarrely. Even with no ICC trophies to show for, Kohli has been an efficient winner in white-ball cricket, and BCCI refusing to acknowledge what his legacy is had led many fans to question the running of the cricket body.
So we conclude this recap from the year gone by, and now we move to 2022. We hope for glory to be achieved by the athletes that represent our nation. With the Asian Games and CWG to look forward to in 2022 for the medal rush, the Indian Cricket team under new captain Rohit Sharma looking to re-capture the T20 World Cup, the Indian women looking to make a mark at the AFC Asian Cup, these events will be headlining the sporting competitions Indians will be taking part this year. Best wishes to everyone taking part as well as the coaching staff priming these athletes to be the best versions of themselves. And on that note, wishing everyone a Happy New Year with the same message- to be the best version of ourselves this year.
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