When Balbir Singh Sr was dropped from the 1948 Olympic hockey final, Indian students in London erupted in protest for his comeback. He was inducted in the team and the rest is history. His teacher mortgaged his own house to fund Olympics trip for his pupil. This pupil was Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, India’s first individual Olympic winner. On the day of the final, this shuttler had taken the London tube, carried his kit, and walked to the court. Prakash Padukone would later become the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships.

Stories of triumph are often written in tribulations. As India celebrates 75 years of Independence, we look back at sporting achievements of this country and revisit the moments that made memories. Nothing has united India as much as a fantastic performance in a sport. The victories, the medals and the individual brilliance of India’s sportspersons have bridged divides even during moments of despair in the country. India has produced a number of brilliant individuals and teams who have ensured that India’s flag is held high at all times. Whether it is a hockey champion on either sides of Independence, or being home to flannelled gods of cricket, soldiers of the 64 squares, tennis stars, wrestlers, weightlifters, boxers, shuttlers or cueists, India has always aimed for the top.
75 Years of Indian Sports, a part of the series Journey of a Nation, is a chronicle of the country’s journey as a sporting nation, the journey of the players from being amateurs to being world champions.