Eight Popular Sports in India
India is a land of sports. You not only see cultural diversity but also see people playing different sports. The Indian population is showing a keen interest in various sports such as badminton, football, tennis, hockey, and many more. More than that, sports are also seen as an excellent opportunity to build career options.
On the occasion of National Sports Day, let us pay some attention to the popular Indian sports in India.
National Sports Day
Sports teach us a lot. It not only helps us keep physically fit but also maintain our mental health too. And each nation today celebrates national sports day to pay tribute to the sportsperson. The National Sports day of India is held on 29 August, which is also known as the Rashtriya Khel Diwas.
The sports day is celebrated to memorialize Major Dhyan Chand’s legend, the hockey player, on his birth anniversary. National sports day is also celebrated to create awareness about the importance of sports in the people and to proudly serve the country. On this auspicious day, several awards will be distributed to the biggest sports personalities who achieved medals for their country.
The sports awards include Arjuna Awards, Khel Ratna, Dhyan Chand Award, Dronacharya Award, and many more.
Sports Day | Major Dhyan Chand’s Birthday
Major Dhyan Chand is popular amongst the people as the “Hockey Wizard”. He was born in 1905 on August 29. Major Dhyan Chand also won the gold medal in three consecutive Olympics held in 1928, 1932, and 1936 respectively. Due to his achievements, the National Sports of India is celebrated on his birth anniversary.
He began his career in Hockey with the British Indian army under their regimental squad. During his wonderful journey, he played more than 185 matches. Moreover, he also scored more than 400 goals during his Hockey journey.
The Indian government also conferred him with the Padma Bhushan award, considered the third highest civilian honour.
What Is The Importance Of Sports Day In India?
Sports in India is remarkably considered as the moment of joy, tears, and moment to be celebrated. Be it cricket, football, hockey, and any other sport; people fill with joy and excitement whenever sports come into the mind. The popular Indian sports and sportsperson both served as a great inspiration to fulfil dreams and work harder. Fond of playing sports? Check out these ten best sports running shoes for men.
Besides that, sports also help us to learn about fitness and healthy living. It teaches us how to be disciplined in life and focus on our goals. This also encourages how to focus on the things which matter for life. Moreover, it gives you a reason to free yourself from the hustle-bustle of life. So, this sports day, let’s check out the most popular Indian sports.
Top Eight Popular Sports in India
Here is the list of the top eight most popular Indian sports, which gives us reason to celebrate the National Sports days in India.
Cricket
There is hardly anyone who doesn’t love to watch and play cricket. There are so many reasons behind the popularity of the sport in India. The topmost reason being that we have won the world cup two times. From legend Kapil Dev to the former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, the India cricket team boasts many gem players. They all played a big role in the popularity of cricket and made it stand on the top of the list of popular Indian sports. Want to play cricket online? Check out these ten best cricket apps for online gaming.
Hockey
Hockey is the national sport of India that gives us so many memorable moments and gives a reason to celebrate the sports day. The national sports day is also held on the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand. They give an epic performance in the Olympics and bring medals for India.
The Indian hockey team has won eight gold medals, one silver medal, and two bronze medals, including the world cup. The shower of the medals raises the popularity of this sport in India.
Badminton
Badminton is amongst the eight most popular Indian sports. The reason for this huge popularity is the star players like Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. They ranked themselves amongst the world’s best badminton players and won several medals in the Olympics.
Moreover, the sport is amongst the second most-watched games on television channels, which shows how popular this sport is among the people in India.
Football
Football has always been one of the most popular Indian sports. Currently, the Indian football team ranks at the 105th position in the FIFA ranking table. So far now, the team hasn’t created magic, but the popularity meter is always on the top. Read about these top ten football players in India.
Shooting
Since times immemorial, shooting has always secured a place in the list of most popular Indian sports. Shooting is also considered the top viewed sport of India that has a huge fan base. People of all age groups still love to watch the shooting and are fascinated about playing this sport.
Shooting star Abhinav Bindra won a gold medal in Olympics in 2008 which further increased the popularity of this sport. Gagan Narang, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, and Vijay Kumar, and Chandro Tomar are some of the star players of the shooting.
Tennis
Tennis is also amongst the most popular sports in India. Maybe this game didn’t create that magic until now, but we have many legendary players like Mahesh Bhupati and Leander Paes who qualified as the top tennis players.
Moreover, the Indian team also won two bronze medals in the Asian Games held in 2018. Undauntedly, the success stories of the tennis players and excellent playoffs in the Asian games slightly raise the game’s popularity.
Boxing
The star players such as Vijender Singh and MC Mary Kon make this game popular amongst India. Boxing is also considered the sport that brings so many medals to the Olympics. This is the reason why people are so enthusiastic about this game. So, this National Sports Day, we cannot miss this game from our list.
Mary Kom won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics, and Vijender Singh won the Beijing Olympics in 2018. In short, boxing always gives us hope to win a medal for the country. This is why this gaming sport becomes so much popular amongst the people of India and steal the place in the most popular Indian sports.
Weightlifting
Weightlifting holds a special place in the popular Indian sports list because it has always bagged a few medals at the Olympics.
Weightlifting gained popularity when famous weightlifter, Karnam Malleswari, won a bronze medal in Olympics. Also, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, the Indian women weightlifter, won a silver medal this year in the international game event, which further contributed to raising the game’s popularity in India.
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Takeaways- Best Indian Sports
So, these were the eight most popular Indian sports that make us feel proud of our country and its players. While some sports have bagged national trophies, some have bagged international ones and give us all the more reasons to celebrate the national sports day with pride.
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