All You Need to Know About the Peak Moments of India in Sport

Sports in India have a rich history and were affected by British rule in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cricket is the most popular sport in Indian sport. People practice Pehlwani, kabaddi, silambam, yoga, thayam and parama padam. BetZillion also ranks the top 10 bookies in India.

There are a lot of Indians who play and train for the pure joy of sports. Sports teaches discipline, how to stay fit and how vital practicing and maintaining excellent health are to winning.

British soldiers used football to amuse themselves when they were stationed in India in the middle of the nineteenth century. In 1854, Calcutta Club of Civilians and "The Gentlemen of Barrackpore" played India's first football game. Durand Cup was established in Shimla in 1888 by Mortimer Dur and India won the Asian Games in 1962 and second place in Asian Cup in 1964. The All India Football Federation oversees football matches in Indian football. FIFA and the Regional Asian Football Confederation have ties to the AIFF.

Cricket was played in Southern England in the 16th century. It was crowned England's national sport in 18th Century. India hosted the first international game in middle of the 19thcentury. Cricket is popular in South Africa, the West Indies, Australia, England and India.

Hockey was brought to India by British service members. The first hockey club was established in Kolkata in 1885. Hockey achieved new heights with the start of the Beighton Cup and the Aga Khan tournament. India participated in the 1928 Olympic Games and continued its winning streak for a long time.

Khashaba Jadhav was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic medal for India in 1952. He was born into a family of wrestlers and earned the bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Mihir Sen was the first Indian to cross the English Channel in 1958. He also swam all five seas in a single year in 1966. Sen died in 1997 at 66.

Milkha Singh broke the 400-meter Olympic record at the 1960 Olympics. He missed out on the bronze medal by 0.1 seconds.

Ramanathan Krishnan was one of the best tennis players in the world in 1960 and 1961. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals twice.

India won the 1975 Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They beat Pakistan 2-1 in the final match.

India won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1983. India lost the toss and was ordered to bat first. They scored 43 runs. The team's captain, Kapil Dev, said it was a fighting total.

P. T. Usha won four gold medals and one silver medal at the 1986 Asian Games. She received the world's best athlete trophy.

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the French Open and Wimbledon in 1999. They advanced to the men's doubles finals of all four grand slam tournaments and the ATP Masters.

India won the first Kabaddi World Cup in 2004. India has won each of the five Kabadis global championships. The Indian Kabidiots won gold medals at the Asian Games in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.

Pankaj Advani won the World Billiards Championship in 2005. He was the first player to complete a "grand double" in the time and point formats. In 2003, when he was 18, he became the youngest Indian to win the world championship.