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India's top sportspersons, 2007The hockey team
Back to winning waysIt was a year hope for Indian hockey.Under the guidance of a new coach the eight-time Olympic champions salvaged a slice of lost glory after failing to make it to the semi-final of the Asian Games in Doha and ending up 11th among 12 teams at the World Cup in Germany in 2006.Former Olympian Joaquim Carvalho's no-nonsense approach and straight talking harnessed the team to three podium finishes, including a title-triumph at the Asia Cup in Chennai.Carvalho's persistence with youth paid off as the team thrashed Korea, which finished fourth at the World Cup, 7-2 in the final of the seventh edition to finish unbeaten in the tournament.In fact, it was a third place finish in the eight-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at Ipoh, Malaysia, in May that provided the stepping stone for better days ahead. The team then proceeded to Antwerp for the Champions Challenge in a bid to qualify for the Champions Trophy. Though it couldn't, it did extremely well, beating England twice to finish third. The only defeats were against New Zealand and Argentina.Carvalho's forthrightness also brought monetary gain for his players. Irked by the 'step-motherly treatment' meted out to them by the central and four state governments, when compared to the sops given to cricketers after India's triumph in the Twenty20 World Cup, he objected to the announcement of cash awards announced by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and the state governments of Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Karnataka to the cricketers while ignoring the title triumph of his wards in the Asia Cup.'Why are our hockey players orphaned? Why are our politicians biased towards hockey, the national game?' he asked.His angry demand was heard and the above-mentioned governments rewarded the players handsomely; even commercial houses chipped in.When he took over as chief coach he scotched speculation that his appointment was a stop-gap arrangement and declared he would quit if his team fails to qualify for the Olympics.'I have set goals for myself,' he said. 'The Beijing Olympics is just over a year away, but my goal is to get the team qualify for it. If I fail to do so, I will quit and will not wait to be given the boot.'
Shuttling with successIndia woke up one rainy August day with a new sporting hero to talk about.The telephones at the Sridhar home and the Prakash Padukone Academy, both in Bangalore, were swamped by interview requests from the media.Badminton has always had an inconsistent relationship with the country of its birth. Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand and Aparna Popat are wellknown names, yet the game lacks a following. Its success stories have been few and far between; even before the country starts warming up to its shuttle heroes the excitement dies down.Anup Sridhar's performance at the World Badminton Championships was one such brilliant spark. The talented and temperamental Banglorean, who had reached the semi-final of the Asian badminton championship earlier this year, burst into the Indian consciousness when he beat Indonesia's Olympic gold medallist Taufik Hidayat.He followed it up with the scalp of the then world number 16 Hafiz Hashim of Malaysia to enter the final eight of the world championships. But, with that marathon three game (21-19, 18-21, 21-15) match taking the wind out of him, he, however, fell to top seed and eventual winner Lin Dan of China.
Sridhar also attained a career-best ranking of 25 in the Badminton World Federation's November ranking list.The ace is now looking for sponsors to keep his presence on the circuit.'It will be very difficult for me to train and play tournaments abroad without any financial backing. I have already spent so much this year from my pocket,' Sridhar said as the corporate world -- including the IT giants in his hometown Bangalore -- showed little interest in his awesome exploits.
The Southern SpeedosMotor sport had a certain tryst with India in 2007.Outside of the seat-edge thrill of the championship race between Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, India, a massive country with little stake in Formula One, began to find its feet in the speed business.And who better than the fastest Indian on wheels to firmly hold it!Coimbatore's Narain Karthikeyan, left, made a historic drive at the Zhuhai international circuit in China, flying the Indian car to its first A1 Grand Prix victory. The Indian driver had given up the test spot with the Williams F1 team to shape India's fortunes in A1 and he once again emerged a winner.While Karthikeyan bid good-bye to F1 for the time being, Karun Chandhok has his first taste of it. The 23 year old from Chennai was called up for a test session with Red Bull Racing and drove alongside the likes of Michael Schumacher and David Coutlhard during the weekend at Circuito de Catalunya in Barcelona.Chandhok was rewarded for his impressive performances in the GP2 series. The former Asian champion won the sprint race at the challenging Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium with Durango Corse. The victory earned him praise from F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who has tipped Chandhok to follow Karthikeyan's steps into motor sports' biggest competition.To complement Karthikeyan and Chandhok's success on track, progress also brewed in the Indian paddocks.
Flamboyant businessman Vijay Mallya bought over the Spyker team and renamed it Force India. Though the car hasn't received flattering reviews, Mallya is determined to put out a competent team for the coming season.India's promise as one of the biggest markets bore testimony as Ecclestone made sure that the country stages a Grand Prix by 2010. Formula One signed a 10-year deal with Indian company JP to build a race track in Greater Noida in a bid to bring the first race to India.
Fitter, stronger, higherSuccess, injuries, controversies, acclaim. Sania Mirza had her hands full in a year that saw her climb to a career-high of 27.After a disappointing 2006, Sania came back fitter, stronger, and better-prepared.She started the year with a blazing run at the Hopman Cup, and, in Rohan Bopanna's company, helped India beat higher-ranked teams like Croatia and the Czech Republic.Just when her fortunes started to turn on the WTA charts, injury struck, and she was confined to a wheelchair with a knee injury.With the demanding clay season ahead, the 21 year old got back to her feet just in time. Her return to the circuit after almost three months wasn't promising as she crashed out in the first round in Morocco. But Sania added mettle to her credentials as she won the first round at the French Open, breaking the Parisian jinx that most Indians have found impossible to shake off.After crashing out in the second round to Russia's Nadia Petrova at Wimbledon, Sania truly gathered steam on the hard courts in the US, in the run-up to the year's final Grand Slam.Seen before as a talented player who somehow couldn't put it together against the bigger names, Sania produced a streak of upsets that had the tennis world take notice.
Tatiana Golovin, Patty Schnyder, Shahar Peer, Dinara Safina, Martina Hingis. All ranked in the top 25, all falling to the Indian's new-found tenacity. Sania later admitted that winning against defensive players like Peer and Schnyder was an indicator that her performance is 'maturing.'Despite making three semi-finals and one final in the year, she was unable to claim a title that has eluded her since her home triumph at the 2005 Hyderabad Open.Post-US Open, her results showed a clear decline -- losing in the quarter-finals at the Japan Open and first-round exits in Moscow and Zurich. Another injury -- the wrist this time -- saw her bring an early end to the season.The brief sabbatical from tennis didn't keep her off the front pages though. The rumour mills grinded into action as soon as she mentioned Shoaib Akhtar as one of her favourite Pakistani cricketers. She was also linked with a Pakistani tennis player and a Bollywood actor, as the focus shifted away from the courts.Decemeber saw Sania in trouble when she shot advertisements on the premises of Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid. Cases were filed before she apologised.Being a star is not new for Sania, but she is beginning to understand the consequences of stardom.
Ruling the chessboardThe lightning kid. That's how Viswanathan Anand was referred to after his spectacular success as a junior.Though the Indian ace made rapid strides on the 64 squares board, to be rated among the world's best, he only achieved the position of numero uno this April.In more ways than one, 2007 was a landmark year for Anand.Triumph at the Linares-Morelia tournament in March ensured him the top spot in the Elo ratings -- only the sixth player to be ranked No 1 since the birth of the rankings in 1970.Then followed the ultimate honour. In September, he won the FIDE World Championship in Mexico and became the undisputed world champion.A 20-move draw against Hungary's Peter Leko in the 14th and final round gave the 37-year-old from Chennai the crown. Battling with seven of the world's top chess players, Anand won four of his 14 games and drew 10 to emerge the only unbeaten player in the competition.Anand's place in chess history is assured. As far as his significance among his countrymen is concerned, it would suffice to say that in the last 20 years -- since 1987, when he became India's first Grandmaster -- 16 Indian men have attained Grandmaster status, but when it comes to winning major tournaments, chess aficionados still look up to the charming genius from Chennai.Viswanathan Anand is truly a class apart