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It’s no secret that sport is not the highest priority in India, so when a sportsperson defies the odds to reach the pinnacle, it’s something to be celebrated. Not only do they fight a culture which has not traditionally promoted and adopted sport, but they also surpass the achievements of athletes blessed with better infrastructure and resources.Despite the nature of the country’s sporting landscape, several sportspersons have given it everything to achieve the World No. 1 ranking. Most recently Saina Nehwal achieved the No. 1 ranking, after winning the Indian Open Super Series title. On that note, here are 12 other Indian sportspersons who reached the World No. 1 position.
#1 Viswanathan Anand (Chess)
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The flag-bearer for Indian chess over the past 20 years, Anand has won the World Championship five times and made it to the finals on several occasions. In total, he held the world number one position for six months, across different periods.
His first tenure was from Aprill in 2007 to October of the same year, he then surrendered the position to Vladimir Kramnik in early 2008. However, he regained the position in the April of 2008 and held it till July, reaching a peak rating of 2803.
He would eventually go onto surrender the title to Bulgaria’s Veselin Topalov
#2 Leander Paes (Tennis)
Paes has been a picture of consistency not only for India, but in the doubles tennis circuit as well. For more than two decades, the 41-year old has been a stalwart in the upper echelons of tennis.
His tenure as the world number one, lasted from July in 1999 to February in 2000, since then Paes has been with different partners and has reached a highest ranking of third.
He recently secured his 15th Grand Slam victory, after winning the mixed doubles event at the Australian Open. Paes is currently ranked 21st in the doubles rankings.
#3 Mahesh Bhupathi (Tennis)
Bhupathi’s world number one ranking lasted for just two weeks, with his Paes himself. Throughout 1999, the duo dominated the doubles scene including a historic Wimbeldon victory. However, despite being one half of the duo, Bhupathi could only attain the number one position for four weeks.
However, the Chennai-born player, held his top 10 position longer than Paes, He shifted across the top 10 for almost three years, reaching a high of 2nd whilst partnering Nenad Zimonjic.
Regardless of the arguments, Bhupathi and Paes were the strongest while playing together and the rankings clearly prove that.
#4 Deepika Kumari (Archery)
Heading into the 2012 London Olympics, Deepika Kumari was being touted as India’s gold medal hope. She was ranked no. 1 in the world at the time, however, she went onto lost to Amy Oliver from Great Britain in the first round.
Now ranked 14th in the world, Kumari has exceeded expectations in the non-Olympic events. She won gold in the Recurve individual and women’s team events at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and three silver medals at the Archery World Cup.
Kumari had sighted crowd pressure as a problem, during her Olympic match. The Archery Association of India has since brought in a psychologist to help her with the issue.
Let’s hope Kumari reaches the world number position again soon.
#5 Jitu Rai (Shooting)
The current world no. 1 in the 10m air pistol event is being touted as India’s replacement for Abhinav Bindra in the Olympic gold front. Rai burst into the scene in 2014 in emphatic fashion.
He won a gold medal at the 2014 Maribor World Cup stage and followed it with two silvers at the Munich. Rai is also ranked 4th in the 50 m air pistol event.
It’s surprising to see that Rai has not jumped in the 50m rankings, despite winning gold at both the Asian and Commonwealth Games.
Rai said, “One has to be consistent in order to maintain the rankings, and I hope I can do that. The 12-day camp which kicked off on Tuesday will definitely help us to get into the groove.”
#6 Ronjan Singh Sodhi (Shooting)
A master at the Double Trap event, Sodhi is currently ranked number one in the world in his event. Despite having success in several events, Sodhi has failed to impress at the Olympics, like Kumari.
That being said, he has pioneered the sport over the past 10 years. Sodhi has won two World Cups in 2010 and 2011, before narrowly losing out in 2012. A recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award, Sodhi also won the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games.
Like Kumari, Sodhi crumbled under the pressure finishing sixth overall. Let’s hope Sodhi can better his position in Rio.
#7 Heena Sidhu (Shooting)
In 2014, Heena Sidhu shot into the limelight, after securing the world no. 1 position in the women’s 10m air pistol event. If you have a glimpse at her list of achievements, there is no reason why she shouldn’t be.
Since 2008, Sidhu has consistently won titles across the globe. From the 2008 Hungarian Open to the 2014 Asian Championship, she has struck just gold. She also won the silver medal at the 2014 ISSF Shooting Championship in USA.
However, the Arjuna awardee failed to strike gold in the Asian and Commonwealth Games, settling for the silver and bronze medal on different occasions.
#8 Prakash Padukone (Badminton)
The man who put Indian badminton on the map, if it wasn’t for him we might not have been able to witness the likes of Pullela Gopichand and Saina Nehwal. The first ever Indian to win the All-England Badminton Championship, Padukone was world number one on several occasions from 1980 to 1983.
After securing the All England title in 1980, he would go onto win the World Cup in 1981. A gold medal in the 1978 Commonwealth Games, highlighted the growth of a player, who came out of relative obscurity.
Padukone’s world number one position was the catalyst to India’s badminton revolution.
#9 Rahul Dravid (Cricket)
The less we say the better, Rahul Dravid is a name synonymous with consistency, professionalism and outright talent. However, the validation of being number one in the world rankings is something that will etched onto his memory.
35 test matches and 226 days was the tenure that Dravid spent at the top of the ICC Test rankings. He first became world number one in 1998, before being dislodged by Sachin Tendulkar.
However, six years later, a double century against Pakistan helped him regain the title as he went onto spend six months at the top. He later achieved the feat in 2010, before being dislodged in a week by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis.
#10 Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket)
Despite ending his career on the 18th spot, Sachin Tendulkar is the most successful batsmen in cricketing history. In 1994, Sachin reached the top spot of the ICC rankings for the first time.
He held the position only for three month, surrendering it to Brian Lara.
In 1998, Tendulkar regained the world number one spot, after an unbeaten 155 in Sydney. In 2000, he went on top again. He would again regain it for a while in early 2002, but would eventually be overtaken by Adam Gilchrist.
Sachin’s total time at the top would be 1157 days and 139 Test matches.
#11 Sania Mirza (Tennis)
Tennis star Sania Mirza became the world no.1 in WTA’s doubles rankings in April, 2015, thereby becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat. She paired up with Swiss tennis ace Martina Hingis to win the 2015 Family Circle Cup and the title pushed her to the top of the charts.
“It’s a dream for every kid to be No. 1 one day,” Sania said before adding, "No tournament has been as special to me as the Family Circle Cup and no tournament will ever be as special to me, because I became No. 1 here."
Her partnership with Hingis turned out to be immensely successful as the Indo-Swiss pair won three consecutive grand slams viz., the Wimbledon in 2015, the US Open in 2015 and the Australian Open in 2016. This ensured that the Indian was perched right on top of the rankings for 80 weeks and running.
#12 Saina Nehwal
On 2 April, 2015, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal became the world number 1 rank in the BWF rankings, days after her triumph at the India Open BWF Super Series. Her maiden women’s singles title helped her become the first Indian women’s player to be ranked as the top player in the world.
Her remarkable performances in 2015, which included a silver medal in the All England Championships, helped her clinch the top spot.
Speaking of her achievements in 2015, she had said, "I have had five podium finishes this year, two gold and three silver medals. I became World No. 1, not once, not twice, but thrice! I slipped and got back again, slipped and got back again. What more can I ask for?"
Currently, she is ranked sixth in the world after a setback of injuries.
#13 Mariyappan Thangavelu (Paralympic High Jumper)
Tamil Nadu’s paralympic high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu achieved the numero uno position in the world in his debut year at the senior level.
The 20-year-old, who lost his right leg at an early age of five, jumped an incredible 1.78m to clinch the gold at the IPC World Athletics Championship in Dubai. He replicated his feat by winning the gold medal at the IPC Tunisia Grand Prix in March, 2016 to secure a berth at the Rio Paralympics.
Before going to Rio, Thangavelu said, “I might be world number 1, but things back home are pretty bad. My mother is still paying off the debt, and I hardly earn anything so I have nothing to contribute. But sometimes life is bigger than that no?”
In the men’s high jump T-42 in Rio, he jumped 1.89m to secure the gold medal, thereby becoming India’s first Paralympic gold medallist since 2004.
