Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh’s World Chess Championship triumph, the Indian cricket group bringing again the Twenty20 World Cup after 2007 and Manu Bhaker bagging two particular person medals on the Paris Olympics… followers will cherish 2024 as top-of-the-line years for Indian sports activities.
There have been some closes misses too… The Indian males’ s hockey group needed to accept a bronze at Paris regardless of a valiant effort from the group with captain Harmanpreet Singh main from the entrance. Goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh introduced his retirement and joined because the coach for the nationwide junior hockey group.
And a heartbreak too occurred at Paris. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem dethroned Neeraj Chopra to grow to be the brand new Olympic champion on the javelin occasion. Nadeem’s large thrown of over 92m gave him the yellow medal whereas India’s Neeraj Chopra needed to accept silver.
Together with World Cup excessive, the Indian cricketers delivered some disappointments as nicely. In opposition to New Zealand, the lads’s group confronted a humiliating whitewash at residence. It was the primary time that India misplaced all of the Check matches in a sequence since 2000.
The Indian girls’s hockey group couldn’t make it to the Paris Olympics however ended the yr with a stupendous victory within the Girls’s Asian Champions Trophy.
An intriguing race is on for the World Check Championship last. South Africa at No.1 place adopted by Australia and India. With the win over Pakistan within the first Check at Centurion, South Africa grew to become the primary group to ebook a spot within the WTC last, which shall be performed on the Lords in 2025.
India might have misplaced the essential Boxing Day contest by 184 runs however all isn’t misplaced so far as their possibilities of qualifying for the WTC last are involved.
India should win the final Check of the sequence in opposition to Australia at Sydney, after which hope for a constructive outcome for Sri Lanka (or a 0-0 draw) when Australia tour the island nation early subsequent yr.
Submit the loss, India’s level share (PCT) has dropped to 52.78 from 55.89. Australia, however, boosted their PCT as they now have 61.46.
If India handle to win in Sydney, they’ll have 55.26 PCT and Australia could have 54.26. A win out of two Checks in opposition to Sri Lanka then can be sufficient for Australia to go previous India’s PCT and be part of the Proteas within the last.
If Australia attracts or wins the ultimate Check, they’ll elevate the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after an extended hiatus.
Indian cricket witnessed a slew of excessive profile retirements. Whereas Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma introduced their retirement from the T20 format, ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shocked followers by asserting his retirement in the midst of the Border-Gavaskar sequence. Earlier within the yr, former left-handed opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan hung his boots.
Within the worldwide enviornment, Rafael Nadal introduced his retirement after the Davis Cup quarterfinal loss in opposition to the Netherlands.
On December 17, New Zealand quick bowler Tim Southee introduced his retirement. The 36-year-old swing bowler then revealed he would additionally play no extra limited-overs matches for his nation, ending a record-breaking 17 years throughout all three codecs.
England’s finest quick bowler James Anderson additionally retired from worldwide on the age of 41. For Australia, left-handed opening batsman David Warner publicizes his retirement.
Former Indian girls hockey captain Rani Rampal introduced her retirement in October.
Right here we seize among the finest sporting moments.
(compiled by N. Kesavan)
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ANI
Ace Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin introduced his retirement from worldwide after the third India-Australia Check in Brisbane. Ashwin has performed 106 Checks and has claimed 537 wickets with a mean of 24.00. He has taken 37 five-wicket and eight ten-wicket hauls. Ashwin was a useful batsman too having scored 3503 runs with six tons of to his credit score. He has taken 765 worldwide wickets in all types of the sport moreover taking 779 wickets within the first-class video games.
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PTI
Indian Grandmaster and challenger D Gukesh reacts after beating reigning champion China’s Ding Liren within the 14th and final recreation of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024, in Singapore, He grew to become the youngest one to win the title within the historical past of World Chess Championship.
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PTI
Defending champion and China’s Ding Liren received the primary match and bounced again within the twelfth recreation to equal. However Gukesh was too good for him within the 14th and last recreation and received the championship. A complete of 9 video games had been drawn.
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Reuters
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal introduced his retirement from worldwide tennis on November 20, 2024 after his loss within the Davis Cup quarterfinal singles match in opposition to Netherlands. Nadal has up to now received 22 Grand Slam tournaments. Apart from this, he received Olympic Gold in 2008 and has additionally enabled his group to win 5 Davis Cup titles. Nadal is one in all three males to finish the profession Golden Slam in singles. His 81 consecutive wins on clay represent the longest single-surface win streak within the Open Period.
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Ritu Raj Konwar
Former Indian girls hockey group captain Rani Rampal introduced her retirement on October 24, 2024. A scientific ahead, who made her worldwide debut in 2008 as a 14-year-old within the Olympic qualifiers that yr, Rani scored 205 objectives in her 254 outings for India. Rani’s journey by way of the years and ranks culminated in main the group to a historic fourth-place end on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and included breaking a 13-year drought to win the Asia Cup in 2017 and a silver on the 2018 Asian Video games.
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PTI
One of many heroes of 2013 Champions Trophy, Shikhar Dhawan has performed 34 Checks scoring 2,315 runs, 167 ODIs scoring 6,793 runs. In Checks, he has scored 7 centuries whereas Dhawan scored 17 centuries in ODIs. Dhawan has a wholesome common of 40.61 and 44.11 in Checks and ODIs respectively.
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Getty Pictures
Australia best opening batsman David Warner additionally hung his boots from worldwide cricket. He has performed 112 Check, 161 ODIs and 110 T20 internationals having scored 8,786, 6,932 and three,277 runs respectively. He has additionally performed 387 T20 matches having scored 12,435 runs with 8 centuries. He has scored 26 centuries and 22 tons in Checks and ODIs respectively.
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AP
England’s legendary quick bowler James Anderson introduced his retirement on the age of 41. He had performed 188 Checks taking 704 wickets at a mean of 26.45. James Anderson had taken 991 wickets throughout all codecs. James Anderson has taken 1,126 wickets in first-class cricket, a document of types.
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AP
New Zealand quick bowler Tim Southee introduced his retirement on December 17, 2024. Tim Southee performed 107 Checks taking 391 wickets. He has additionally taken 385 wickets in ODI and T20 internationals. In first-class cricket, Tim Southee has taken 558 wickets.
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ANI
Chess gamers pose with their medals after profitable Gold within the girls’s open part and males’s open occasion within the forty fifth FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024, in Budapest
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ANI
New Zealand cricket group whitewashed India within the three Checks they performed. India misplaced all of the Checks they performed beforehand in 2000 in opposition to South Africa. The Black Caps obtained the higher of India in Bengaluru and Pune to interrupt the house aspect’s 18-series win streak at residence.
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GALLO IMAGES
With the thrilling win over Pakistan within the first Check at Centurion on December 29, 2024, South Africa grew to become the primary group to ebook their place within the World Check Championship last which shall be performed at Lords in June 2025.
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MICHAEL ERREY
Having misplaced the primary Check at Perth, Pat Cummins-led Australian cricket group bounced again and defeated India by 10 wickets within the pink ball Check at Adelaide. With the third Check drawn, Australia received the fourth Check at Melbourne to steer the sequence 2-0. Australia has an excellent likelihood of assembly South Africa within the World Check Championship last to be performed at Lords in 2025.
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ANI
After their 0-3 loss in opposition to New Zealand, India bounced again strongly within the first Check of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth. With the absence of normal skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah led from the entrance and defeated Australia by 295 runs.
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Reuters
India defeated South Africa within the last of the Twenty20 Wrold Cup and lifted the trophy after a spot of 17 years. India received the trophy in 2007. Having misplaced the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, this win was a comeback for the Rohti Sharma-led group.
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ASH ALLEN
Having lastly received a ICC Twenty20 World Cup trophy, each Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma introduced their retirement from the T20 internationals.
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AP
American gymnast Simone Biles grew to become the fourth US feminine inventive gymnast to compete at three Olympics Video games. On the 2024 Paris Olympics, by profitable the all-around competitors Biles grew to become the third feminine inventive gymnast to win two Olympic all-around titles after Larisa Latynina (1956–1960) and Věra Čáslavská (1964–1968) and the primary to take action non-consecutively. Through the vault last, Biles carried out her eponymous Biles II (Yurchenko double pike) and a Cheng to win the gold medal; in consequence, she grew to become the second lady after Čáslavská to win two Olympic vault titles.
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Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
After profitable greater than 100 medals within the Asian Video games, Indian athletes anticipated to win not less than greater than 10 medals on the Paris Olympics. However Indian athletes disenchanted on the Olympics. India received solely 6 medals with Manu Bhaker main from the entrance. Manu Bhaker grew to become the primary Indian to win two medals in an Olympics.
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Ritu Raj Konwar
Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh celebrates with Indian flag after profitable bronze medal in 10m air pistol combine doubles group occasion in Paris Olympic 2024 in Chateauroux taking pictures vary in France.
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Indian followers had been in for extra disappointment on the Paris Olympics. Neeraj Chopra needed to accept a silver. He was defeated by Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem who threw a large throw in his second effort. He dethroned Neeraj Chopra with a large throw of 92.97m. Neeraj Chopra received the silver in his second effort with a throw of 89.45m.
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Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
India’s Aman Sehrawat grew to become the youngest Indian to win an Olympic medal within the 57-kg class.
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Eugene Hoshiko
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat was to struggle for the finals, she fought laborious to scale back her weight. Vinesh was discovered marginally chubby on the obligatory weigh-in and was disqualified. On the again of her exit from the Paris Olympics 2024, Vinesh Phogat introduced her retirement. Regardless of her enchantment, Courtroom of Arbitration for Sports activities (CAS) dismissed right here petition for the joint silver medal. Vinesh and her fan-following had been disenchanted in regards to the verdict from CAS.
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Clive Brunskill
Indian males’s hockey group received the bronze medal on the Paris Olympics. They final received the bronze on the Tokyo Olympics 2020. P.R. Sreejesh introduced his retirement from worldwide hockey and have become the coach of the Indian males’s Junior Hockey group.
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Getty Pictures
Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz on August 4 to say a maiden Olympic title and grow to be simply the fifth participant to finish a profession Golden Slam. The 37-year-old Serb, competing in his fifth Video games, got here by way of 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in an enthralling last at Roland Garros so as to add Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs. Victory allowed him to hitch Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and the watching Serena Williams as the one gamers to win all 4 Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold.
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ANI
Indian girls hockey gamers rejoice with the trophy after profitable the ultimate of the Asian Champions Trophy in Nalanda.
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AP
Italian tennis participant Jannik Sinner ended the yr 2024 with the No.1 rating adopted by Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz within the second and third place. The Olympic gold medal winner Novak Djokovic completed on the seventh place.
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Reuters
Within the girls tennis rankings, Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka completed on the prime of the rankings adopted by Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff on the second and third positions.
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AFP
Bangladesh’s gamers rejoice with trophy after profitable the second and final Check cricket match in opposition to Pakistan on the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on September 3, 2024. Bangladesh defeated Pakistan 2-0.
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AP
With a watch on the World Check Championship last, South Africa defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 and have topped the ICC Check Championship rating adopted by Australia and India. If India needed to enter the finals they’ve defeat Australia within the remaining three Checks.
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Reuters
England defeated Pakistan within the first Check at Multan by an innings and 47 runs and anticipated to prevail over Pakistan within the remaining two Checks. However the Pakistan cricket group bounced again to defeat England within the second Check at Multan by 152 runs and dominated England within the third Check at Rawalpindi and received it by 9 wickets.
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JAMES WORSFOLD
With ICC Girls ODI World Cup in sight, Indian girls cricket group visited Australia however the group misplaced all of the three ODIs it performed. Australia girls cricket group dominated India in all of the three ODIs and received it simply with 3-0 margin.
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Getty Pictures/iStockphoto
Vinicius Junior of Actual Madrid received the most effective FIFA males’s participant and the goalkeeper award went to Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa. Actual Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti received the most effective coach award of 2024. Within the girls’s, Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati received the FIFA participant of the yr award whereas Chicago Purple Stars’ Alyssa Naeher and Chelsea and U.S.’ Emma Hayes received the most effective goalkeeper and coach awards.
Printed – December 30, 2024 08:58 pm IST