At the doorsteps of 2026! What better time than now to look back at the old year fading away and the impact it had on Indian sports. Yes, there were disappointments but overall. it must be said 2025 must have been a year of inspiration. Much good has flowed and interestingly it has been the women who have been to the fore! Talk of cricket, easily the most followed sport in the country and surely it is usually the men who would dominate any discussion. The old year was no different particularly after the success in the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. And there was this big happening of two stars deciding to exit at least in Test matches. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, perhaps the two most popular and followed cricketers in the country took that decision and fans certainly accepted that shocker with a touch of melancholy. After Sachin Tendulkar and M S. Dhoni left the stage this must have been the biggest happening in Indian cricket.

To some extent this went to the background thanks to the riveting show by the women cricketers. Winning the ODI World Cup not only brought up an historic moment in women’s cricket in India but raised the stature of the women cricketers as such. Equality has been the theme in sporting competitions world over now. What better way could the women have done this in the sport of cricket which had for long been a male-dominated sport in India. Having lost the final twice before in 2005 and 2017 it was third time lucky for the home team. Here again the going did not look comfortable, having lost to South Africa, Australia and England in the group stage. But once into the knockout phase which they managed in style, India looked a transformed side to beat Australia in a pulsating semi-final and then South Africa in the final in another exciting encounter.

Not to be left behind were the blind women cricketers. Just a fortnight or so after the historic moment in Mumbai, another set of Indians in blue won the inaugural T20 world cup for the blind in Colombo. India capped off its unbeaten run in the tournament with a seven wicket win over Nepal in the final. This is another landmark moment in Indian cricket history as duly acknowledged by the BCCI and the success is bound to provide a fillip to sports persons with disability in the country. Talk of disability and what can one say of this 18-year old Indian para-archer Sheetal Devi. She became the first armless woman to win a world championship gold and what is more became the first Indian para-athlete selected to compete against able-bodied archers. She is globally recognised as one of the top archers who displayed incredible skills using her feet.

From the green outfield of cricket to the green top of the snooker table and that is where another woman has done wonders to make herself and the country proud. Anupama Ramachandran, a postgraduate student from Chennai, rose to become the ISSF world snooker champion in the event held in Doha. As a 13-year-old she had taken to this sport in the summer workshop held in Chennai’s Mylapore club. Ten years later she is now on the top of the world! Down south and again from Chennai hails another top woman sportsperson in L. Keerthana, who early this month scaled a new high in carrom. Coming from a humble background, she tuned her excellence in carrom play to such an extent that she won a hat trick of gold medals in the world championship held in Maldives. Keerthana won the singles, doubles and team gold for another historic moment. What bigger prize could she have given to the man who started the carrom revolution in India, Bangaru Babu and what is more just when this ‘father of Indian carrom’ is turning 100!

Expertise on the carrom board but what about on the chess board! Divya Deshmukh ensured her performance acquired the attention it richly deserved. A new face of Indian sport, Divya shot into fame winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup. Her victory in the midst of some of the world’s best in the sport, in what was a high-pressure knock-out format, not just enhanced her image but helped her grab the coveted Grand Master title, considered the highest accolade in the sport. In a land of chess greats now, Divya becomes one more and promises to make greater strides. This Nagpur girl had earlier won the world junior title.

The list could continue because such has been the surge. What is striking from this development is the heartening state of Indian sports in many ways. True some traditional areas like athletics, wrestling and boxing may not have seen many eyeball catching moments but there is hope. Yet for all this there are sections where dismay and disillusionment have been overpowering. Like the dope controversy that struck the country during the fag end of the year. That India had recorded the highest number of doping offenders for the third successive year is nothing to be proud of. Indeed with India aspiring to host major international events like the Commonwealth Games (2030) and the Olympics (2036) this issue if it goes unchecked could prove a huge stumbling block, according to experts.

Last but not the least is the state of Indian football. 2025 could well be the lowest point that this sport has touched in the country. Is there a new hope or a silver lining? Well, only the new year will reveal, until then less said the better about Indian football.