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2014 was a watershed year for Indian sports. We saw some remarkable achievements from athletes in several sporting disciplines. Indian athletes proved yet again that they are a force to contend with on the international stage. India won medals in several sports for the first time indicating things to come in the near future. India did not disappoint in team events as well. They combined as a unit to deliver results that made a billion plus people proud. The year also saw the emergence of young talent and the heartening thing for any Indian fan was the fact that the youngsters produced consistent results on a regular basis.Here is a list of the best Indian sportspersons of the year:
#15 Dipika Pallikal
Dipika Pallikal combined with Joshana Chinnappa to win India’s first gold medal in squash at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She lost to World No. 1 Nicol David in the semifinals and won a bronze medal at the Incheon Asian Games.
#14 Anup Kumar
The captain of U-Mumba team in the Pro-Kabaddi team, Anup Kumar played a crucial role in India successfully defending their Asian Games gold at Incheon this year.
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#13 Parupalli Kashyap
Kashyap rewrote history by clinching the gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth games. Syed Modi was the last Indian to do so at the 1982 games. The Hyderabadi beat Singapore's Derek Wong in a nerve-wracking final .
He reached the quarterfinals at this year's China Open.
#12 Saurav Ghosal
Saurav Ghosal scripted history at the Incheon Asian Games as he became the first Indian to win the silver medal in men’s singles squash event.
The Kolkatan did not lose focus in the men’s team event as India won its first gold in squash at the Asiad.
#11 Murali Vijay
The Indian opener has been in the form of his life with terrific showing in overseas test matches. He was a prolific run-scorer in England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The Tamil Nadu batsman handled the swinging conditions in England and the pace & bounce in Australia masterfully.
He also left the ball outside the off stump wonderfully, something that is crucial to stay at the wicket in testing conditions.
#10 Vikas Gowda
Vikas Gowda lived up to his potential by clinching the gold medal in Discus throw at the Glasgow Commonwealth games. He became only the second Indian to claim the yellow metal after Milkha Singh won top honours in 440 yards at the 1958 games.
The Mysore lad continued his good run in Incheon Asian games, but settled for silver with a throw of 62.58 m.
#9 P.V. Sindhu
The Indian No. 2 suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Saina Nehwal in the finals of the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold in January. Sindhu reached the semifinals of the Glasgow Commonwealth games and had to be content with the bronze medal.
The Hyderabadi girl became the first Indian to win back to back medals at the World Championships. She clinched bronze at this year’s World Championships in Copenhagen.
Sindhu was instrumental in India winning bronze at the Uber Cup and Asian Games in the Women’s team event.
#8 P.R.Sreejesh
The Indian goalkeeper has been consistent throughout the year making some wonderful saves in the process. It would have been very difficult for India to claim silver at Glasgow Commonwealth Games or an historic gold at the Asiad without the brilliance of Sreejesh.
India lost to Pakistan in the semifinals of the recently concluded Champions trophy, but Sreejesh was awarded the best goal-keeper of the tournament.
#7 Yogeshwar Dutt
Yogeshwar Dutt won two medals in a space of three months at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. He shifted from 60 Kg freestyle to 65 Kg freestyle and proved it doesn’t make much of a difference as far as results are concerned.
The 2012 Olympic games bronze medallist won gold beating Canada's Jevon Balfour in Glasgow courtesy a technical superiority (lead of 10 points over your opponent). Dutt did not disappoint in Incheon as he posted his best result at the Asiad by overcoming Tajikistan’s Zalimkhan Yusupov in a tight final.
#6 Mary Kom
Mary Kom did not qualify for the Glasgow Commonwealth games as she lost to Pinki Jangra in the qualifiers in India. The 5-time World Champion did not let that setback affect her and worked hard to qualify for the Asian Games in Incheon.
She qualified for the Incheon Games in the flyweight (51 Kg) category. Magnificent Mary won her first Asiad gold beating Kazakhstan's Zhaina Shekerbekova in the final.
Mary Kom-The Film released this year starring Priyanka Chopra in the lead role.
#5 Kidambi Srikanth
Srikanth became the first Indian man to win a Super Series Premier title after clinching the China Open. The win was more memorable for the 21-year old as he outclassed two-time Olympic gold medallist Lin Dan in the final.
The Guntur native also reached the semifinals of the season-ending Super Series finals in Dubai. He is currently the highest ranked Indian men's player with a World ranking of 4.
#4 Sania Mirza
After retiring from Singles, Sania Mirza concentrated on playing doubles. Her decision paid dividends evident by her success this year. Her results in the women’s doubles weren’t that impressive as she and Cara Black did not make it to a single Grand Slam final. However, they won the Portugal Open beating Eva Hrdinova and Valeria Solovyeva in the final.
She partnered Bruno Soares in the mixed doubles and went on to win the U.S Open title. She will complete a Career Slam in mixed doubles if she wins the Wimbledon Championships.
The best result of the year in women’s doubles came in Singapore as Sania and Black were crowned the champions of the WTA finals. She is the first Indian to win this event.
#3 Virat Kohli
The poster boy of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli did not have a great series in England. However, the Delhi lad scored 1054 runs at an average of 58.55 this year.
He amassed four centuries and five half centuries against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh.
#2 Saina Nehwal
Saina started off the year by winning the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold tournament beating compatriot P.V. Sindhu in the final. The Indian No. 1 won the Australian Open Super Series overcoming stiff resistance from Carolina Marin in the final. She also beat World No.2 Wang Shixian in the semifinal.
The Hyderabadi skipped the Glasgow Commonwealth games to concentrate on her fitness and prepare for the World Championships. Disappointment was in store for Indian fans as Saina lost to World No. 1 and Olympic champion Li Xuerui in the quarterfinals.
Saina helped India clinch bronze at the Uber Cup and Asian Games in the Women’s team event. Her next big success came at the China Open Super Series Premier where she beat Japan's Akane Yamaguchi to become the first Indian woman to lift the title. The Indian ace lost in the semifinals of the recently concluded Dubai Super Series Finals after winning all three round robin matches.
#1 Jitu Rai
If there’s one man who has made rapid strides on the international shooting circuit this year, it is Jitu Rai. The Naib-Subedar in the 11th Gorkha Regiment of the Indian army won silver at the ISSF World Cup in Munich.
The 27-year old followed it up with two medals at the Maribor World Cup – gold in 10 m air pistol event and silver in 50 m pistol event. These results helped the Indian attain the World No. 1 ranking in 10 m air pistol and No. 4 in 50 m air pistol.
Rai continued his brilliant run in 50 m pistol event winning gold at both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. He settled for bronze in Incheon in the 10 m pistol team event.
