Five sports where Indian female players have shone 

#2. Wrestling

Vinesh Phogat has been carrying the family name forward in recent times with her excellent performances

Women's wrestling in India is synonymous with the Phogat family. What makes their story so unique is how they had to grapple with not only opponents on the mat but two other societal demons as well -- patriarchy and gender bias. It was Mahavir Phogat's staunch determination and unwavering focus that led to six wrestlers being produced from his family.

The journey was not at all easy, especially because the Phogat family hailed from Haryana's Bhiwani district where patriarchy was deep-rooted. Mahavir, with the support of his brother Rajpal, fought against Khap panchayats, naysayers in his own family and a lot of ridicule in Balali village to give India champions in wrestling.

When Mahavir's eldest daughter Geeta became the first Indian woman wrestler to win a Commonwealth Games gold in 2010, all his tireless efforts were rewarded. Geeta created further history when she qualified for the London Olympics in 2012.

Geeta's sister Babita too has several achievements to her credit. Two Commonwealth Games gold medals and a World Championships bronze medal stand out among them.

Mahavir's niece, Vinesh has been carrying the family name forward in the last few years with her excellent performances. In 2018, she etched her name in the annals of India's sporting history when she clinched the gold at the Asian Games. Apart from that, she has a couple of gold medals from the Commonwealth Games and multiple Asian Championships medals.

Vinesh was unfortunately struck down by an injury at the Rio Olympics but her and India's women's wrestling Olympic gold medal dream is still very much alive after Sakshi Malik's bronze from Rio.