Top 5 unsung heroes of Indian sports in 2017

Now, India is not a powerful sporting nation, to be precise. We mostly wail about the lack of adequate infrastructure, facilities for the athletes, when it comes to the dismal performance of India in most international sporting events.

What India actually lacks is the support of the masses, which is a must if you wish to make it big on the world stage. Even a loss to a Sri Lankan cricket team or the marriage between skipper of Indian cricket team Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma makes headlines, while real achievements, which should be the talk of the town, takes a backseat.

Following is a view into the 5 unsung heroes of Indian sports in 2017, who should've got way more attention than they received.-

Harmanpreet Kaur

This brilliant 28-year-old all-rounder, hailing from Moga, Punjab, is one of the significant reasons why the Indian women's cricket team had a dream run in the 2017 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.

The only Indian woman cricketer to have played in the Australian domestic league, the Big Bash League, Harmanpreet shut her critics up with a brilliant knock of 171 against the defending champions Australia, which enabled her team to surprise them with a 36 run defeat.

Had it not been for her unfortunate dismissal in the finals, India would've become the first Asian team to lift the ICC Women's World Cup. Even though she was praised for her feats, Harmanpreet, along with the teammates, were compelled to take a backseat, when their male counterparts sprang into action.

4. Sundar Singh Gurjar

Sundar Singh Gurjar

What he lost in Paralympics, he gained at the World Championships. This one-armed javelin thrower, who claims to have the best attempt of 68.42 m in the national trials, way ahead than the world record of his own teammate, Devendra Jhajharia, surprisingly missed the Paralympic finals on the account of his coach's error in summoning him for the roll call.

However, he compensated for the tragic miss with a gold medal at the IPC Para Athletics World Championships, held in London, where he threw the javelin at a seasonal best of 60.28 m, to clinch the only second gold medal for India ever in this tournament. Sadly enough for him, his feat was not even talked about back home, save for a passing mention in the morning papers.

3. Akash Chikte

Akash Chikte

Another unsung hero of his own class, it is a surprise that not many people know about this Indian goalkeeper, who has been instrumental in giving India significant victories at the 2017 Hockey Asia Cup, and a bronze medal finish at the 2017 FIH World Hockey League Finals, where his brilliant hattrick of saves landed India in the semifinals, giving Belgium a shock defeat of 3-2.

He was the reserve goalkeeper for India at Rio Olympics and is a diligent disciple of his mentor and the star goalkeeper for the Indian team PR Sreejesh. He made himself noticed at the Asian Champions Trophy, where he denied the last minute breather to give India a memorable win.

We hope that this charming Havaldar of the Indian Army gets more recognition in the future, and may he prove to be a brilliant replacement for his own mentor some day.

2. Ritu Phogat

Ritu Phogat with the silver medal

It's ironic that India wails of wrestlers failing to make it big at the international stage, and when they really do, they conveniently choose to ignore the feats.

Such is the story of Ritu Phogat, who hails from the famous Phogat clan, immortalised by the Aamir Khan starred biopic 'Dangal'. The third daughter of Mahavir Singh Phogat, Ritu made both her family and India proud when she stormed into the finals of the U23 World Wrestling Championships in the 48 kg category.

This is extremely unique, since this is not only India's first medal in the female category of these championships, but also a medal higher in value that of both Geeta and Babita Phogat, who managed to win the bronze medals in the senior category in 2012.

Sadly, despite the Phogat clan being in the limelight, Ritu is yet to get her due for this medal, being the only Indian woman to join the ranks of Sushil Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt and Ramesh Gulia, who have won the gold medals in the U16 World Junior [Cadet] Championships.

1. Jyoti Gulia

Jyoti Gulia with the tricolor

This woman's feat arguably deserved to be on the front page of the morning papers, rather than the marriage of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma. This boxer, who hailed from Rurki village near Rohtak, had her own 'Dangal' story, but with a twist. Unlike the father, who coerced his daughters into wrestling in the movie, her father, as well as her family was dead against Jyoti pursuing a career in the boxing.

However, this flyweight boxer successfully fought against all odds, to emerge as a champion, both on and off the stage. She created history by defeating Ekaterina Molchanova of Russia comprehensively 5-0 to win the gold medal at the AIBA Youth Women's World Boxing Championships, held at Guwahati in November 2017.

Incidentally, Jyoti belongs to the same category as her idol, and boxing star MC Mary Kom, so this means that Mary Kom is now up for some serious competition in 2018, if she aims to win a medal at the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.