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2018 is an important year in Indian sports, filled with action and hope for the upcoming challenges. While sports like badminton and shooting will be the talk of the town for many, sports like wrestling, gymnastics, hockey, boxing etc. will be viewed with an eye for further improvement, keeping in mind the next major challenge for India, i.e. Tokyo Olympics, to be held in 2020.
Following is a list of top 5 Indian sportsmen to look out for in 2018.
#5 Vikas Krishan Yadav
Touted to be the next big thing in Indian boxing after Vijender Singh, Vikas Krishan didn't have the exact dream run as hoped by sections of Indian media. Gold medalist at Guangzhou Asiad in 2010 and a podium finisher at the 2011 World Championships, he was controversially evicted from the quarterfinals, after jury members alleged of his misconduct during the match against Errol Spence of USA in the pre-quarters, turning over an earlier verdict of 13-11 in his favour.
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Since then, Vikas has struggled to regain his original form. He did show some promise after switching to middleweight category when his compatriot Vijender switched to the professional boxing. However, his dream was cut short in the quarterfinals of Rio Olympics.
2018 is the last opportunity for Vikas Krishan to prove himself as a potential boxer and fulfil the dream of bringing the elusive Olympic gold.
#4 Yogeshwar Dutt
He may be down, but he's not out. This sturdy wrestler, who suffered a shock exit in the very first round in Rio Olympics, shall aim to make it big in 2018. Having refused to take the Rio exit lying down, the DSP in Haryana Police from Sonepat is now focusing on making it big in the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 Asian Games, whence he shall decide on his road ahead, keeping Tokyo Olympics 2020 in mind.
This is also the year, where can he can prove himself on the world stage and shut his detractors. Since he hasn't attended national camps after his marriage, most of the critics are ready to strike him off as a potential wrestling hope for Tokyo 2020. A gold at both Gold Coast CWG and Jakarta Asiad, as well as a brilliant performance at the World Championships, can shut their mouths up for at least a good amount of time.
2018 expects Yogeshwar Dutt to rise and shine in the spirit that he displays on social media.
#3 Jitu Rai
Though he compensated for his loss at the Rio Olympics with a brilliant performance at the ISSF World Cup, Jitu Rai, the uptight Naib Subedar from the Gurkha Regiment of the Indian Army, needs to keep his books straight, especially when he is touted to be the next big thing in Indian shooting after the likes of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra and Vijay Kumar.
2018 is the best time to prove himself as a potential gold medal hope for India at Tokyo Olympics. Given that he was the first Indian shooter to qualify for Rio Olympics, a brilliant performance in events like ISSF World Championships, Asian Games etc. is expected from him on the same lines.
#2 Kidambi Srikanth
The gutsy shuttler has had a rather mixed year, where he won a few Superseries, but sank without a trace in tournaments like the BWF World Superseries or the World Championships.
Who would believe that a shuttler, who has gone on to defeat the likes of Chinese sensation Lin Dan, ex-World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, and current world champion Viktor Axelsen? However, Srikanth could not even cross the quarterfinals in the World Championships, or even cross the first stage of the BWF World Supersereies Finals, held in Dubai this very month. To his credit though, Srikanth was making a comeback from an injury lay-off at the tournament, and was not fully back up to speed.
However, a promising, though tightly packed 2018 lies ahead in store for him. Since it's been almost 3 and a half decades when India last climbed a podium in the male category of the World Championships, a lot is expected from this shuttler, currently ranked No. 4 in the world.
#1 Sushil Kumar
For the veteran grappler, 2018 is now or never. Having missed his chance to complete a hat-trick of consecutive medals in Rio Olympics due to internal politics and his own shoulder injury, Sushil Kumar has to prove his mettle in the upcoming year in every respect, be it the Commonwealth Games, or the Asian Games, or even the World Championships.
It's been almost a year since Sushil Kumar was out of action, and his return to the mat through the National Championships hasn't been a sweet dream either, with three opponents of his giving walkovers to him without a fight.
Thankfully, Narsingh Pancham Yadav isn't present to pose an obstacle in his ways, courtesy a 4-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. So if Sushil wishes to make himself count as a serious potential for a historic wrestling gold at Tokyo Olympics, 2020, he needs to capitalise on this golden opportunity, which is why he is the most valuable sportsperson in view for the upcoming year.
