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Saturday, January 1, 2000 |
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...And the dozen others
MIR SULTAN KHAN DHYAN CHAND WILSON JONES RAMANATHAN KRISHNAN BALBIR SINGH MILKHA SINGH PRAKASH PADUKONE KAPIL DEV SUNIL GAVASKAR V ANAND SACHIN TENDULKAR LEANDER PAES -- VKS Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Probably the first world class sportsperson India produced. The winner of All India chess championships in 1926 and the British Open in 1929, 1932 and 1933. He also played alongside and beat the likes of Cuban Jose Raul Capablanca and died an unsung hero in 1966.
Gold medallist on three occasions in 1928, 1932, and 1936, he may well have added one or two more gold but for the War. A magician with a hockey stick, whom history will rank alongside all-time greats Pele and Don Bradman.
India's first world champion in sport in 1958 added one more world title six years later and was singularly responsible for the popularisation of billiards.
Twice semi-finalist at Wimbledon was denied ultimate glory at the Mecca of tennis as he was injured in 1962, when he had his best chance. Carried India to the very top echelons in Davis Cup, too.
Three-time gold medallist in hockey at 1948, 1952and 1956 Olympics, who was a prolific goalscorer.
A poor refugee who came over to India amidst riots caused by the bloody Partition, this Commonwealth and Asian Games champion, who missed an Olympic Games medal by a whisker, rose to become one of India's best-known names and a synonym for grit and hardwork.
A gentleman sportstar and All-England champion in 1980 and World Cup winner in 1981, Padukone carved a niche for himself at a time when the Indonesians and Chinese ruled the roost.
Made everyone sit up and notice as he became one of the premier all-rounders in the game and in a country where spin ruled, his pace bowling gave him a 434 Test wickets, a world record he will carry into the next millennium.
Following a dream debut in 1971, he carried Indian cricket on his shoulders for more than a decade and a half and was the epitome of concentration and class, which made him the highest run-getter in Testcricket and gave him a record 34 centuries, to boot.
There are fewer active chess Grandmasters than Nobel Prize holders and he is one of them. The World No. 2 holds the beacon in a sport, which has for most part of this century been dominated by Russian-born players.
A genius with a cricket bat, whom the reclusive Don Bradman came out to watch and later granted an audience on his 90th birthday. By the time he is through with cricket, few batting records would have escaped him.
He secured his place in history with an Olympic medal in 1996 and then made it doubly sure with two Wimbledon titles in a single day in this century's last Wimbledon and has another Grand Slam title to boot.
