Sports Personalities and Records

What to remember

• Cricket greats: Sachin Tendulkar (first to 100 international centuries), Kapil Dev (1983 World Cup captain), Sunil Gavaskar (first to 10,000 Test runs), Don Bradman (Test average 99.94).
• Hockey and athletics: Dhyan Chand won three Olympic golds (1928, 1932, 1936); Milkha Singh and P. T. Usha both finished fourth at the Olympics; Neeraj Chopra won Olympic gold in javelin.
• Badminton and chess: Prakash Padukone, Gopichand, Saina Nehwal and P. V. Sindhu in badminton; Viswanathan Anand (India's first Grandmaster) and Koneru Humpy (from Andhra Pradesh) in chess.

Cricket

India won the 50-over World Cup in 1983 and 2011. India won the T20 World Cup in 2007. The ICC Cricket World Cup trophy goes to the winner of the one-day World Cup. The Wisden Cricketer awards are given in England. The Cricket Hall of Fame is maintained by the ICC. The Khel Ratna (Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, renamed Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021) was first won by a chess player, not a cricketer.

Hockey

Major Dhyan Chand is called "The Wizard" for his stick work. India won Olympic gold in 1928, 1932 and 1936 under his time in the team. He was born on 29 August, now celebrated as National Sports Day. India has won eight Olympic gold medals in hockey, the last one in the Moscow Games of 1980. After a long gap, India won bronze medals in hockey in modern Games, which ended the long wait for an Olympic hockey medal.

India won the Hockey World Cup once, in 1975 at Kuala Lumpur. Hockey is a national game in popular belief, but the Government has said India has no official national game.

Athletics

India's first individual medal after independence was the wrestling bronze won by K. D. Jadhav in 1952. The sport of kabaddi, kho-kho and wrestling are traditional Indian sports.

Badminton

India won the Thomas Cup for the first time in 2022, a team triumph in men's badminton.

Chess

The Chess Olympiad was held in India for the first time at Mamallapuram near Chennai. Chess is governed worldwide by FIDE and in India by the All India Chess Federation. FIDE titles run from Candidate Master up to Grandmaster.

Other famous world names

Usain Bolt of Jamaica holds the world records in 100 m and 200 m. Michael Phelps of the USA has the most Olympic medals. Pele of Brazil won three World Cups. Diego Maradona of Argentina led his team to the 1986 World Cup. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are famous for Grand Slam wins in men's tennis. Serena Williams and Steffi Graf are famous in women's tennis. Muhammad Ali was a heavyweight boxing champion. Sir Don Bradman is the greatest batter by average.

Records that exam setters like

A batter who scores a century in each innings of a Test has scored twin hundreds. A double century in a men's one-day international was first achieved by Sachin Tendulkar (2010); in women's ODIs Belinda Clark did it in 1997. A bowler who takes three wickets in three balls has taken a hat-trick. In football, a player scoring three goals in a match has also made a hat-trick. The highest individual Test score is 400 not out by Brian Lara. The best Test bowling figures in an innings are 10 wickets, achieved by Jim Laker, Anil Kumble and Ajaz Patel (New Zealand, 2021).

India's women cricketers have done well in recent years. Jhulan Goswami was a famous fast bowler of the Indian women's team. Mithali Raj was captain for many years. Smriti Mandhana is a top left-handed opening batter.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni became known for his calm captaincy and quick wicketkeeping. Kapil Dev was also known as one of the best all-rounders. Sachin Tendulkar played for India for 24 years. Rahul Dravid and V. V. S. Laxman produced a famous partnership against Australia at Kolkata.

Other Indian sportspeople to know

These names are often paired with the sport. A good habit is to learn each name together with the sport, the award and the place.

Exam traps

• Gavaskar versus Tendulkar: Gavaskar was the first to 10,000 Test runs; Tendulkar was first to 100 international centuries.
• Fourth place: Milkha Singh (400 m, Rome) and P. T. Usha (400 m hurdles, Los Angeles) missed medals; do not call them medallists.
• Anand versus Humpy: Anand is India's first Grandmaster; Humpy is a woman player from Andhra Pradesh.
• Padukone versus Gopichand: Padukone won the All England title in 1980; Gopichand won it in 2001.
• Saina versus Sindhu: Saina won the first badminton Olympic medal (bronze); Sindhu won silver at Rio.
• Bindra versus Chopra: Bindra won gold in shooting; Chopra won gold in javelin.
• Muralitharan versus Warne: Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets; Warne took 708.
• Bradman versus Lara: Bradman's average is 99.94; Lara's 400 not out is the highest Test score.

One-liners

• 1. Sachin Tendulkar was the first sportsperson to get the Bharat Ratna.
• 2. Sunil Gavaskar was the first to score 10,000 Test runs.
• 3. Kapil Dev captained India to the 1983 World Cup.
• 4. Dhyan Chand is called "The Wizard"; his birthday is National Sports Day.
• 5. Milkha Singh is known as the "Flying Sikh".
• 6. P. T. Usha is known as the "Payyoli Express".
• 7. Karnam Malleswari was the first Indian woman Olympic medallist.
• 8. Saina Nehwal won India's first Olympic badminton medal.
• 9. Prakash Padukone won the All England title in 1980.
• 10. Viswanathan Anand was India's first Grandmaster.
• 11. Mary Kom is a six-time world boxing champion.
• 12. Brian Lara scored 400 not out in a Test innings.

Practice questions

1. Who was the first batter to score 100 international centuries?

   1. Virat Kohli
   2. Ricky Ponting
   3. Sunil Gavaskar
   4. Sachin Tendulkar
   Answer

   D. Sachin Tendulkar

   Tendulkar reached 100 international hundreds.

2. Who was the first batter to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket?

   1. Sachin Tendulkar
   2. Rahul Dravid
   3. Allan Border
   4. Sunil Gavaskar
   Answer

   D. Sunil Gavaskar

   Gavaskar was the first to 10,000 Test runs.

3. Who captained India to the 1983 Cricket World Cup win?

   1. Sunil Gavaskar
   2. Kapil Dev
   3. Sourav Ganguly
   4. M. S. Dhoni
   Answer

   B. Kapil Dev

   Kapil Dev led India at Lord's in 1983.

4. Don Bradman's Test batting average was

   1. 89.94
   2. 94.99
   3. 99.94
   4. 100.00
   Answer

   C. 99.94

   Bradman's average is 99.94.

5. Who scored 400 not out in a Test innings?

   1. Virender Sehwag
   2. Brian Lara
   3. Don Bradman
   4. Sachin Tendulkar
   Answer

   B. Brian Lara

   Lara's 400* is the highest individual Test score.

6. Who took the most wickets in Test cricket (800)?

   1. Anil Kumble
   2. Shane Warne
   3. Glenn McGrath
   4. Muttiah Muralitharan
   Answer

   D. Muttiah Muralitharan

   Muralitharan took 800 Test wickets.

7. Which hockey player is called 'The Wizard'?

   1. Dhanraj Pillay
   2. Balbir Singh Senior
   3. Dhyan Chand
   4. Ashok Kumar
   Answer

   C. Dhyan Chand

   Dhyan Chand was known for his stick work.

8. Which athlete is known as the 'Flying Sikh'?

   1. P. T. Usha
   2. Neeraj Chopra
   3. Milkha Singh
   4. Sushil Kumar
   Answer

   C. Milkha Singh

   Milkha Singh was nicknamed the Flying Sikh.

9. Which athlete is known as the 'Payyoli Express'?

   1. P. T. Usha
   2. Dipa Karmakar
   3. Karnam Malleswari
   4. Anju Bobby George
   Answer

   A. P. T. Usha

   Usha comes from Payyoli in Kerala.

10. In which position did Milkha Singh finish in the 400 m at the Rome Olympics?

    1. Second
    2. Third
    3. First
    4. Fourth
    Answer

    D. Fourth

    He missed a medal by a narrow margin.

11. Anju Bobby George won a World Championships medal in

    1. shot put
    2. long jump
    3. high jump
    4. javelin throw
    Answer

    B. long jump

    She won a bronze in the long jump.

12. Which Indian won the All England Open badminton title in 1980?

    1. Pullela Gopichand
    2. Prakash Padukone
    3. P. V. Sindhu
    4. Kidambi Srikanth
    Answer

    B. Prakash Padukone

    Padukone won in 1980; Gopichand in 2001.

13. Pullela Gopichand's famous badminton academy is in

    1. Bengaluru
    2. Vijayawada
    3. Hyderabad
    4. Chennai
    Answer

    C. Hyderabad

    The academy is at Hyderabad.

14. Who won India's first Olympic medal in badminton?

    1. P. V. Sindhu
    2. Jwala Gutta
    3. Kidambi Srikanth
    4. Saina Nehwal
    Answer

    D. Saina Nehwal

    Saina won bronze at London.

15. P. V. Sindhu won an Olympic silver medal at

    1. Rio
    2. London
    3. Beijing
    4. Atlanta
    Answer

    A. Rio

    She won silver at Rio and bronze at Tokyo.

16. Who became India's first chess Grandmaster?

    1. Koneru Humpy
    2. D. Gukesh
    3. Viswanathan Anand
    4. Vidit Gujrathi
    Answer

    C. Viswanathan Anand

    Anand became a Grandmaster in 1988.

17. Koneru Humpy, the chess Grandmaster, comes from which state?

    1. Tamil Nadu
    2. Andhra Pradesh
    3. Kerala
    4. Karnataka
    Answer

    B. Andhra Pradesh

    She is from Vijayawada.

18. Mary Kom is a famous Indian

    1. boxer
    2. wrestler
    3. archer
    4. shuttler
    Answer

    A. boxer

    She is a six-time world boxing champion.

19. Mirabai Chanu won an Olympic silver medal in

    1. shooting
    2. boxing
    3. wrestling
    4. weightlifting
    Answer

    D. weightlifting

    She won silver at Tokyo.

20. Karnam Malleswari, an Olympic medallist, belongs to which state?

    1. Andhra Pradesh
    2. Haryana
    3. Manipur
    4. Punjab
    Answer

    A. Andhra Pradesh

    She is from Andhra Pradesh.

21. Who won the first individual medal for independent India at the Olympics?

    1. Sushil Kumar
    2. K. D. Jadhav
    3. Leander Paes
    4. Milkha Singh
    Answer

    B. K. D. Jadhav

    Jadhav won wrestling bronze in 1952.

22. How many Olympic gold medals has India won in hockey?

    1. Seven
    2. Ten
    3. Eight
    4. Six
    Answer

    C. Eight

    India won eight golds, the last in 1980.

23. In which year did India win its only Hockey World Cup?

    1. 1971
    2. 1983
    3. 1980
    4. 1975
    Answer

    D. 1975

    India won at Kuala Lumpur in 1975.

24. Anil Kumble took all ten wickets in a Test innings at

    1. Mumbai
    2. Delhi
    3. Chennai
    4. Kolkata
    Answer

    B. Delhi

    He did it against Pakistan at Delhi.

25. Who was the first sportsperson to receive the Bharat Ratna?

    1. Viswanathan Anand
    2. Kapil Dev
    3. Dhyan Chand
    4. Sachin Tendulkar
    Answer

    D. Sachin Tendulkar

    Tendulkar was the first sportsperson.

26. Rahul Dravid is popularly known as

    1. The Wall
    2. Dada
    3. Little Master
    4. Master Blaster
    Answer

    A. The Wall

    Dravid's solid batting earned him this name.

27. Leander Paes won an Olympic bronze medal at Atlanta in

    1. badminton
    2. shooting
    3. tennis
    4. wrestling
    Answer

    C. tennis

    Paes won tennis bronze at Atlanta.

28. How many times has Viswanathan Anand been World Chess Champion?

    1. Seven
    2. Five
    3. Three
    4. Four
    Answer

    B. Five

    Anand won the title five times.

29. Kidambi Srikanth, the badminton player, is from

    1. Kurnool
    2. Kakinada
    3. Guntur
    4. Nellore
    Answer

    C. Guntur

    He is from Guntur in Andhra Pradesh.

30. Dipa Karmakar is known for which sport?

    1. Gymnastics
    2. Archery
    3. Shooting
    4. Athletics
    Answer

    A. Gymnastics

    She finished fourth in vault at Rio.

31. Neeraj Chopra's Olympic gold came in which event?

    1. Shot put
    2. Discus throw
    3. Hammer throw
    4. Javelin throw
    Answer

    D. Javelin throw

    Neeraj won javelin gold at Tokyo.

32. Consider these statements. 1. Sunil Gavaskar was the first to 10,000 Test runs. 2. Sachin Tendulkar was the first to 100 international centuries. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

33. Consider these statements. 1. Milkha Singh won an Olympic medal at Rome. 2. P. T. Usha won an Olympic medal at Los Angeles. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    D. Neither 1 nor 2

    Both finished fourth and won no medal.

34. Consider these statements. 1. Shane Warne took 800 Test wickets. 2. Shane Warne took 708 Test wickets. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    Warne took 708; 800 is Muralitharan.

35. Consider these statements. 1. Saina Nehwal won an Olympic bronze at London. 2. P. V. Sindhu won an Olympic silver at Rio. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

36. Consider these statements. 1. Viswanathan Anand was India's first Grandmaster. 2. Koneru Humpy is from Tamil Nadu. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Humpy is from Andhra Pradesh.

37. Consider these statements. 1. Dhyan Chand won three Olympic golds with the Indian hockey team. 2. National Sports Day marks his death anniversary. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    It marks his birthday, 29 August.

38. Consider these statements. 1. Prakash Padukone won the All England title in 2001. 2. Pullela Gopichand won the All England title in 1980. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    D. Neither 1 nor 2

    The years are the other way round.

39. Consider these statements. 1. Don Bradman averaged 99.94 in Test cricket. 2. Brian Lara scored 400 not out in a Test. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

40. Consider these statements. 1. Mary Kom is a six-time world champion in boxing. 2. Mary Kom won an Olympic gold medal at London. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    She won a bronze at London.

41. Consider these statements. 1. Karnam Malleswari won an Olympic bronze in weightlifting. 2. Mirabai Chanu won an Olympic gold at Tokyo. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Mirabai won silver at Tokyo.

42. Consider these statements. 1. Kapil Dev captained India to the 2011 World Cup win. 2. M. S. Dhoni captained India to the first T20 World Cup win. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    Kapil led in 1983; Dhoni led in 2007 and 2011.

43. Consider these statements. 1. Abhinav Bindra won gold in shooting. 2. Neeraj Chopra won gold in javelin. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

44. Which pair is correctly matched?

    1. Little Master : Kapil Dev
    2. Flying Sikh : Milkha Singh
    3. Master Blaster : Sunil Gavaskar
    4. The Wall : Sourav Ganguly
    Answer

    B. Flying Sikh : Milkha Singh

    Dravid is the Wall, Gavaskar the Little Master, Tendulkar the Master Blaster.

45. Sprinter Usain Bolt, holder of the 100 m and 200 m world records, represents

    1. United States
    2. Brazil
    3. Kenya
    4. Jamaica
    Answer

    D. Jamaica

    Bolt is from Jamaica.