12 photos of Indian sports achievements that will make you feel patriotic

On the occasion of India's 68th Independence day, here are 12 photos of India's sports achievements that will make you feel a little more patriotic.

#1 Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes- 1999

The legendary doubles pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes nicknamed “Indian Express” gave Indians many a moment to rejoice. Their biggest moment came in 1999 when they reached the final of all four Grand Slams, winning the Wimbledon and the French Open titles. They won another French Open title in 2001.

#2 Indian athletes at the Olympics

India’s performance in the last two Olympic Games has been relatively better than previous years. The 2008 and 2012 games have accounted for 1 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals.

#3 Badminton achievements

India has produced some excellent badminton players over the years. Prakash Padukone won the Denmark Open, a World Cup and a Commonwealth gold medal.

He was the first Indian to win the men's singles title at the All England Championship in 1980.

Pullela Gopichand was the second Indian to win the All-England title.

He also won a silver and a bronze medal in the 1998 Commonwealth Games.

#4 Sushil Kumar\'s medals at successive Olympic Games

Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar famously won a bronze Medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and did one better by winning silver in the 2012 London Olympics (both in the 66 kg category).

He has won 6 gold medals in the Commonwealth Championships, 2 in the Commonwealth Games a gold at the 2010 World Championships.

#5 India\'s ODI and T20 wins

Indias Natwest Trophy victory in 2002,World T20 win in 2007 and Champions Trophy win in 2013 are some moments to savour.

#6 Leander Paes winning the 1998 Bronze medal at Atlanta Olympics

While Paes has brought glory to India in doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi and others, his individual success in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was an incredible achievement. The fact that India hadn’t won an Olympic medal since 1980 makes it even better.

#7 Milkha Singh and PT Usha

Whilst they may not have won medals, they became world famous for their never-say-die attitude.

Milkha Singh finished 4th in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games.

At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, PT Usha finished first in the semi-finals of the 400m hurdles, but narrowly missed a medal in the finals.

#8 India\'s series wins in England

Though it is the ODI wins that we fondly remember, India’s three series wins in 1971, 1986 and 2007 can’t be forgotten.

#9 Indian football\'s Golden Era

Gold medals in the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games and a second-place finish in the 1964 Asian Cup were the highlights of this era. Furthermore, a 4th place finish at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics reinforces that it was indeed the golden era of Indian football.

#10 India\'s win in the 1983 World Cup

The upset win in the 1983 World Cup final against the mighty West Indies by “Kapil’s Devils” united a whole nation and was responsible for the religion-like status cricket has in India today.

#11 2011 World Cup win

For some of us who weren’t around to witness history in 1983, the 2011 win was a godsend. The 28-year wait for an ODI World Cup was brought to an end thanks to brilliant performances all through the squad. That Sachin Tendulkar got the kind of ovation that he did after the win was the icing on the cake.

#12 Indian hockey

India won 8 Olympic gold medals besides 2 bronze and a silver from 1928 to 1980; this was an era in which they were as dominant as any in the history of team sports.