Independence Day 2017: India's athletes who are currently World No. 1
India is not a sporting superpower by any means and there is a long, long way to go for it to become one. We have a good amount of representation in a wide variety of sports and there is a large number of athletes who have made us proud at the international arena.
Our country competes at the elite level of various sports and the sporting scene in the nation remains largely dominated by cricket in all aspects. However, there are athletes and teams in other sports as well who are currently ranked number one in the world in their respective fields. Let’s take a look at them!
The Indian cricket team is one of the best in the world and is currently at the top rank in the official ICC Test rankings. Kohli is also ranked the number one batsman in the world in the Twenty20 format, ahead of Aaron Finch and Kane Williamson. Additionally, Kohli is the world number one in the ODI format as well, in front of David Warner and AB de Villiers.
Another player who has played a crucial role in the success of the national cricket team is all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, currently ranked as the number one bowler in the Test format. His left-arm spin, with its amazing consistency, has wreaked havoc among opposition batting line-ups. He is also the best all-rounder in the world in the same format, ahead of Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan.
The national kabaddi team is by far the best in the world, which was on show in the Kabaddi World Cup that it won in Gujarat last year. The men’s kabaddi team has seven consecutive gold medals in the Asian Games from 1990 to 2014 and they will be looking to make it eight in Jakarta next year.
Similarly, the women’s kabaddi team has also enjoyed a dominant run on the world stage. They have won three World Cup crowns in a row, along with two consecutive gold medals at the Asian Games in 2010 and 2014.
India has a decent representation in the para-athlete events across the world as well, highlighted by the historic performance at last month’s World Para Athletic Championships in London. Sundar Singh Gurjar, who was disqualified at the Rio Paralympics for the most unfortunate of reasons, is currently ranked number one in the world in the javelin throw event in the F46 category and won gold in London as well.
The future for Indian sport is bright, with two athletes on the top of the junior world rankings in their respective areas of domain. Lakshya Sen is the number one junior badminton player in the world and at just 15 years of age, he reached the finals of the senior men’s national championships, where he finished runner-up.
Another rising star is 19-year-old Neeraj Chopra, who is the best javelin thrower in the world in the junior ranks. He won a gold medal last year at the IAAF World U20 Championships and also set a junior world record. He also participated in the recently-concluded IAAF World Championships in London.
| S.No. | Name | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Indian men’s cricket team | Cricket (Test) |
| 2. | Virat Kohli | Cricket (T20 batsmen) |
| 3. | Virat Kohli | Cricket (ODI batsmen) |
| 4. | Ravindra Jadeja | Cricket (Test bowlers) |
| 5. | Ravindra Jadeja | Cricket (Test all-rounders) |
| 6. | Indian men’s kabaddi team | Kabaddi |
| 7. | Indian women’s kabaddi team | Kabaddi |
| 8. | Sundar Singh Gurjar | Javelin Throw (Para F46) |
| 9. | Neeraj Chopra | Javelin Throw (Junior) |
| 10. | Lakshya Sen | Badminton (Junior singles) |