Top 10 current Indian sportspersons

Several Indians have graced the world with their talent on the field. Medals have been won and trophies have been collected; but most importantly they always made the nation of over one billion people proud. Sachin Tendulkar’s recent retirement has paved the way for a new youngster to step up to the challenge and take the Indian team to glory. But who are the current best athletes in all sports? Here is our list of the best.

#10 M.S Dhoni

Indian cricket teams captain and wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, is regarded as one of the finest finishers of the game. Under his captaincy, India lifted the 2011 world cup after Dhoni himself hit the winning shot.

Under his captaincy, India has won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20,the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.He was named as the captain of ICC World Test XI and ICC World ODI XI teams for 2009.

Dhoni is only the second cricketer after Kapil Dev to be conferred the honourary rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian territorial Army. He has also been awardedthe Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2007 and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2009.

#9 Jitu Rai

Jitu Rai is Indiassuperstar in shooting. At the 2014International Shooting Sport Federation world cup in Munich, Rai won a silver medal in the 10 metre air pistol event. He bettered his performance in Slovenia by winning the gold in the same event. He also won a silver medal in the 50 metre pistol event. He became the first Indian to have won two medals at a single world cup.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Rai created the record in the qualification round of the 50 metre pistol event, having scored 562 points. He won the gold medal in the event and created another record in the process by scoring 194.1 points in the final.

#8 Yogeshwar Dutt

Yogeshwar Dutt won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Men's 60kg Freestyle wrestling.

Dutt won successive gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games. In the 2014 final, he completed an overalldominating performance bybeatingCanada's Jevon Balfour 10-0 in the men's 65 kg freestyle.

For his efforts, Dutt was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2012 andPadma Shri by the Government of India in 2013.

#7 Gagan Narang

Gagan Narang was Indias hero at the 2012 Olympic Games when he won the bronze medal in the mens 10m air rifle event.Heachieved further success at the 2014 Commonwealth Games by winningthe silver medal in 50-metre rifle prone and the bronze medal in 50-metre rifle 3 position. He was the only Indian to win two medals the Games in Glasgow.

Gagan Narang won four gold medals each at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games in the 10m air rifle individual,10m air rifle (pairs), 50m rifle 3 positions individual and50m rifle 3 positions (pairs) events.

#6 Leander Paes

Leander Paes is considered to be Indias best doubles player. Paes has won a total of 14 Grand Slams:eight in mens doubles and six in mixed doubles. He is the oldest man to win a Grand Slam, when he won the US Open in 2013. In 1998, Paes defeatedPete Sampras63, 64at the New Haven ATP tournament.

Paes has also won the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympic Games.

He was awardedIndia's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, in 19961997.

#5 Mary Kom

Magnificent Mary is afive-time World Amateur Boxing championand the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships.

Mary Kom was the only woman boxer from India to participate the 2012 Olympic Games. She won the bronze medal in the flyweight category. Mary Kom is ranked 5^thinAIBA World Women's Ranking Flyweight category. She has also won the bronze medal at the 2010 Asian Games.

#4 Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal is currently ranked 7thin the world. In 2010, she attained her career-high ranking of 2ndin the world. Nehwal won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in womens singlesthe gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth games in womens singles.

Along with winning the gold at the 2008 world junior championships, Nehwal also collected bronze at the 2014 Uber Cup. Saina Nehwal also won theIndia Open Grand Prix gold twice in 2010 and 2014 and theAustralian Super Series gold in 2014.

#3 Sushil Kumar

Indias finest wrestler of recent times, Sushil Kumar has won medals at the international level of India.

He is the first Indian to win a gold medal at the world wrestling championships. Kumar has won the gold medal at the 2010 and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He also won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and the bronze at the 2008 Olympics. By doing so,Kumar became the first Indian with multiple individual Olympic medals since Norman Pritchard in 1900.

#2 Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra, by winning the 10m air rifle event,became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games. It was also the countrys first gold since 1980. He also won the gold medal at the 2006 ISSF world shooting championships.

At the 2014Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, Bindra took home the gold medal.

#1 Viswanathan Anand

Viswanathan Anand has arguably achieved the most success in sport for India. The Grandmaster from Tamil Nadu first won the world chess championship in 2000. He won the championship for a further five times in 2002, 07, 08, 10 and 12.

He was the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Indias highest sporting award, in 1991. He was also the youngest awardee of the Padma Shree award.