Tokyo Olympics 2021: Sports that could have fetched medals for India if they were part of the Games

India’s journey at the Olympics began in Paris in 1900 when Norman Pritchard won the nation's first-ever medal by claiming silver in the men's 200m hurdles competition.

India has since gone on to win 28 Olympic medals, including nine gold, seven silver and 12 bronze. But that figure pales in comparison to the medals won by the U.S. and Britain and is a surprise for a nation so densely populated.

However, India has enjoyed tremendous success in several sports that are not part of the Olympics, including cricket, kabaddi and snooker.

With the Tokyo Olympics fast approaching, we take a look at the sports that could have fetched India a medal if they had been included in the Games.

Kabaddi

Kabaddi originated in India several centuries ago and continues to be one of the most popular sports in the country.

It was introduced in the Asian Games for the first time in 1990 and has been a part of the quadrennial event ever since. India is the most successful team at the Asian Games, winning seven gold medals.

India has also claimed top honors at the Kabaddi World Cup in each of the three editions since its inception in 2004.

Kabaddi was never introduced into the Olympics, although it did feature as a demonstration sport at the 1936 Berlin Games. If it was part of the Tokyo Olympics, India would have undoubtedly been one of the favorites.

Cricket

MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh in action during the 2011 ICC World Cup final

Cricket is by far the most popular sport in India, with players enjoying celebrity status in the country. India has won two 50-over World Cups and a T20 World Cup, and is currently the top-ranked Test team in the world. However, it has never had a shot at securing an Olympic medal.

Back on top.India return to the top of the ICC Test team rankings.#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/MRaSvOb9qs

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) March 6, 2021

Cricket was included in the Games in 1900, but Britain and France were the only participating nations. The sport has never been a part of the Olympics since.

Chess

Viswanathan Anand is a five-time world champion

Viswananthan Anand has been the poster boy of Indian chess for decades and his achievements are unmatched.

A five-time world champion, Anand is considered the greatest rapid chess player of his generation, having won the World Blitz Cup back in 2000. He became India's first grandmaster in 1988 and was also the first recipient of the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 1991-92.

Anand is also one of the few players to have surpassed an ELO rating of 2800, which he achieved way back in 2006.

However, with Chess not a part of the Games, an Olympic medal is still missing from his trophy cabinet.

Cue Sports

Pankaj Advani in action during the 2006 Doha Asian Games

India’s tryst with cue sports dates way back to the 19th century, when billiards was a popular activity among British Army officers stationed in the Asian country. Snooker originated in India in the latter half of the 19th century.

As cue sports gained steam, world champions like Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira, Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani were unearthed.

Advani, a 23-time world champion, is the only cueist to have won the Asian and World Championships in all formats of Billiards and Snooker. He also claimed Asian Games gold medals in 2006 and 2010.

If cue sports are ever introduced into the Olympics before Advani retires, he can surely expect to bag a medal or two.

Squash

Saurav Ghosal (right) became the first Indian to win the British Junior Under-19 Squash title back in 2004.

Among the sports on this list, Squash came the closest to being accepted into the Olympics. It narrowly missed out on a place at the 2012 and 2016 Games, losing out to Golf and Rugby respectively, while also being left out of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

📺 WATCH: The Squash Family has been campaigning for squash to be included in the Olympics since 1986. Shortlisted many times but never made it. Squash is dynamic, physically and mentally challenging, strategic, tactical. A healthy sport for all ages. We won’t give up. pic.twitter.com/FxueEwM5Tn

— Christina Rees MP (@Rees4Neath) January 13, 2021

Players like Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa and Deepika Pallikal have made great strides for India on the international circuit.

Ghosal was the first Indian to win the British Junior Under-19 Squash title, back in 2004. He also boasts several Asian Games medals, including a gold in the team event at the 2014 edition in Incheon, while the pair of Chinappa and Pallikal claimed gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

With the rise of Indian squash, there is no doubt that the country would have been medal prospects if the sport was part of the Tokyo Olympics.