Know your alphabet? Think again, as ESPN takes you through the last 10 years in Indian sport.
A
for Anand, India's poster boy for chess for two decades now, who continued to pick up world titles in his 40s, all while remaining grounded and dignified as ever. Expect Vishy to make the list at the end of the next decade as well.
Also read: 'In chess, 40 is the new 50'
B
for Bengaluru FC, the serial-winners from South India who reached unprecedented highs and rewrote the rule book on how a football club can be run.
The rise and rise of Bengaluru FC
C
for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, where amid a backdrop of corruption charges against the organizers and intense media scrutiny, hosts India produced their best ever finish, picking up 101 medals in Delhi.
'CWG much stronger now because of Delhi 2010'
D
for "Dhoniiii, finishes off in style", the immortal words from Ravi Shastri at the Wankhede Stadium, announcing to 1.2 billion Indians that it was time to celebrate long and hard into the night.
Dhoni wins the World Cup with a six
E
for the end of an era, as India bid a tearful farewell to one Sachin Tendulkar, who finally called time on one of the most accomplished careers in sports history, leaving behind a legacy that few can hope to match.
The man whom cricket loved back
F
for the hard-hitting sports films that defined this decade. From Paan Singh Tomar and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, to Dangal and Dhoni, stories about India's sporting heroes not only became critical favourites, but emerged as highly successful ventures at the box office.
Our favourite sports films of the decade
G
for Gopichand, the head coach behind India's badminton renaissance. Under Gopichand's tutelage, India picked up six medals at the World Championships, 16 Superseries titles and also two Olympic medals in this decade. For context, 10 years ago, India had zero Olympic medals, one Worlds medal and one Superseries title.
Super coach Gopichand transforms Indian badminton
H
for hypoandrogenism, the controversial word that threatened to derail Dutee Chand's career by putting her in a gender debate and questioning her very right to run. Once the rules regarding hypoandrogenism were eventually altered, Dutee got back on track with two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Games. She would later become India's first openly gay athlete.
Brave Dutee deserves support, not a pedestal
I
for the Indian Super League (ISL), launched amid much fanfare in 2014. The ISL brought with it glitz, glamour and a galaxy of football superstars looking to take the country by storm. After five seasons, the AIFF announced that starting 2019, the ISL would replace the I-League as India's top football division.
J
for Jeakson Singh, the 16-year-old who scored India's first ever goal at a FIFA World Cup, rising high to head home a cross from a corner in the 82nd minute against Colombia. That would prove to be the only goal hosts India would net at the Under-17 World Cup, as they eventually finished bottom of their group.
Jeakson Singh heads into Indian football history
K
for kabaddi, the oldest sport in India which was given a much-needed makeover by the emergence of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Words like panga, Super Raid and Super Tackle made their way into the public consciousness, and the PKL hasn't looked back since, consistently bringing in high crowds and viewership.
Lights, camera on PKL-mania: Diary of a kabaddi convert
L
for the Lodha Committee, a reminder of the corruption and spot-fixing cloud that the IPL found itself under. The committee was set up by India's Supreme Court in 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals franchises, and it responded by handing the teams a two-year suspension from the league.
Timeline of the Lodha panel's investigation into BCCI's processes
M
for the Miracle on the Mountain, as Aizawl FC, a team with an estimated annual budget of INR 2 crores, defied all odds to win the 2016-17 I-League. It was a feat even the team's owner Robert Royte had not imagined at the start of the season as Aizawl had been relegated in 2015-16, only to be reinstated in the last moment. The rest, as they say, was history.
This is no fairy-tale, Aizawl FC are real
N
for Neeraj Chopra, who cemented his place as one of the premier athletes in the country by winning gold in javelin throw at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in 2018. Neeraj, who shattered his own national record in Jakarta last year, is touted to be one of India's biggest medal prospects in Tokyo.
How Neeraj ruled supreme in 2018
O
for the Olympics, where India won an unprecedented eight medals this decade. The London Games in 2012 were particularly fruitful, as Sushil Kumar, Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal all made history, guiding India to a record haul of six medals.
Yogeshwar's Olympic bronze upgraded to silver
P
for Produnova, considered to be among the most dangerous vaults in gymnastics, but executed with aplomb by Dipa Karmakar during the Rio Games. Dipa's effort wasn't quite enough to land a medal, but she immediately won the hearts of an entire country.
Dipa's leap of faith lifts a nation
Q
for the queen of Indian hockey, Rani Rampal. With her team facing the prospect of an embarrassing exit at home, Rani led by example during the Olympic qualifiers in Bhubaneswar last month, scoring the goal that eventually sealed India's place in the Tokyo Games.
Inspirational Rani remains a class above all
R
for Real Kashmir, the team that sent out a fresh, new message about a troubled valley and showed that football could overcome any hurdle placed in its way.
Un-real Kashmir - A football club gives hope to a beleaguered state
S
for the ugly scandal involving Narsingh Yadav and Sushil Kumar, who tussled publicly for a wrestling berth in the months leading up to the Rio Games. Narsingh eventually got the nod, but his Olympic dream was cut short due to a failed dope test, something he attributed to foul play.
Sushil v Narsingh - Anatomy of a fight
T
for tears of joy and sadness. Indian sport experienced several highs over the last 10 years, but there were the occasional lows as well. The emotional triumphs of PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik, for instance, were closely accompanied by the disappointments of the Indian hockey team, who capped off a decade of under-performance by floundering on home turf at the 2018 World Cup,
Overeager India play into Dutch hands
U
for the unsung heroes, whose accomplishments were perhaps a tad overshadowed by more famous names. Remember London Olympics silver medallist Vijay Kumar? Or Tejaswini Sawant who became World Champion in shooting in 2010? What about the women's rugby team, who made headlines at the Asian level?
Attrition, nerve and will: How India women made rugby history
V
for the decade of Virat Kohli, whose passion and drive was only matched by his insatiable hunger for runs. Kohli sparkled across all formats and consistently made seemingly impossible chases look easy, racking up several centuries and records along the way.
The pleasures and pains of watching a Virat Kohli masterclass
W
for India's women athletes, who slayed dragons and ignored ceilings, conventions and boundaries. They saved face in Rio, stood tall at Lord's, hurtled through space in Glasgow, burned the track in Tampere, and broke world records in Munich. They made of the decade what they were made of: titanium and determination.
X
for the players and athletes who brought the X-factor when it mattered most. Whether it was Jasprit Bumrah spearing in unplayable yorker after unplayable yorker or Bhavani Devi turning it on in fencing at the Commonwealth Championships, India unearthed quite a few gems over the last decade.
The boy called Boom who became India's fast-bowling superhero
Y
for Yuvraj Singh, who gave everything he had and more, to bring the World Cup home to India after 28 long years. Soon after, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left lung, but in trademark Yuvraj fashion, he fought it off and made a stunning comeback into the team in 2013.
How well do you remember Yuvraj Singh's career?
Z
for the Indian men's cricket team who reached every zenith imaginable. From winning the World Cup on home soil, to lifting the Champions Trophy in England, and becoming the No.1 Test team in the world, India ushered in a new era of dominance, the likes of which they've never seen before.
Why Kohli's side is the best ODI team ever