Year in review: Unforgettable sports moments in 2023

As the calendar year turned over so did the year in sportsThere were historic winning streaks and inspiring superhuman feats massive scandals ascending stars fallen heroes a memorable World Cup and much more As 2024 looms MidDay pinpoints the five storylines that defined Indian sports this yearGlowing with successHolding the bow with her right foot and pulling back its string with a tiny hook tucked under her chin Indiarsquos 16yearold Sheetal Devi let fly leaving others in awe With pinpoint accuracy her arrow flew across the ground and punctured the centre of the board brilliantly with a loud popDiscovered at a military camp in a remote area of JampKrsquos Kishtwar and adopted by the Indian Army in her childhood Devi became the first armless woman to win a Para World Archery Championships medal in July and subsequently the first Indian woman to win twin gold in a single edition of the Asian Para GamesThe Praggnanandhaa effectR Praggnanandhaa all of 18 took the chess world by storm by becoming the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to reach the World Chess Final Initiated into the sport at the behest of his parents who aimed to shield him from prolonged television exposure Pragg affectionately known as such has forged an individual trajectory towards successQuestions somehow remain on his opening repertoire but the teen is undeniably a force to be reckoned with in the rapid and blitz formats His remarkable feat in the 2023 FIDE World Cup has turned the spotlight firmly on him even as compatriots like D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi kept reminding us about the impact of chess on the Indian youth in recent yearsThe unstoppable spirit of SunilWhen it comes to the title of Indias best player in modernday football one name stands above all others Sunil Chhetri The 39yearoldrsquos genius on the football pitch is undeniable His close ball control dribbling ability sight and playmaking skills have redefined the role of a forward Whether itrsquos dribbling past multiple defenders delivering inchperfect assists or scoring breathtaking goals Chhetri can do it all with astonishing ease ndash a glimpse of which was witnessed during Indiarsquos emphatic win over a formidable Lebanese side in the Hero Intercontinental Cup in June this yearCummins stuns MoteraAustralian captain Pat Cummins had the humongous task of beating an invincible Team India in their own backyard in the Cricket World Cup final in November With some sharp bowling great field settings and a blistering century from opener Travis Head Australia repeated the heroics of the 2003 World Cup final crushing Indias Incredible 10match winning streak to absolute nothingness as their wait for an ICC trophy continued Having embodied the spirit of Australiarsquos lsquonever give uprsquo mantra Cummins scalped 15 wickets and amassed 128 crucial runs from eight innings in the tournamentWrestlingrsquos lsquoveil of shamersquoMonths came and weeks passed but Indian wrestling and mayhem never ran out of synchronism During the inauguration of the new Parliament house in the capital Delhi Policersquos alleged manhandling of Indiarsquos most prominent wrestlers made for the most distressing image of the year The horrific images from Delhirsquos Jantar Mantar were a stark contrast to how the likes of Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat were viewed prior to the protests as champions with glowing pictures on their respective podiums The saga continues to this date after alleged accused BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singhrsquos close aide Sanjay Singh was recently elected as the new president of the wrestling federation Although the newlyelected body was suspended by the government the controversy seems far from over Sakshi Malik consequently announced her retirement from wrestling while Bajrang Punia returned his Padma Shri award as a mark of protest Multipletime World Championships medalist Vinesh Phogat too joined forces and returned her Khel Ratna and Arjuna awards