Yearender 2022: Neeraj Chopra Gold, Thomas Cup win mark stellar year for Indian sports, Hockey team also shines

Neeraj Chopra Gold, Thomas Cup win and Hockey team's success make a stellar year for Indian sports.

Neeraj Chopra won the Thomas Cup and the Diamond League title in 2022. The women's hockey team won bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Ravi Dahiya made a shock first-round exit from the World Championship. Badminton players won six medals at Birmingham CWG. The rise of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty was key in India's success. Cricket team struggled on the 22-yard strip.

Neeraj Chopra won a silver medal at the World Championships in USA. He also won the Diamond League Finals in September. At least six top Indian athletes were caught for using banned drugs in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. Indian wrestlers dominated the CWG.

Aman Sehrawat became the U-23 world champion in 57kg category. Vinesh Phogat struggled in Greco Roman wrestling. Antim Panghal became U.20 world champions in Sofia. Indian hockey team won a bronze medal at CWG after 16 years.

The Indian sports team won the Thomas Cup and the men's team came second in the Hockey World Cup. Mirabai Chanu won a second World Championships medal. Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli were among 10 medal winners in Birmingham. Virat Kohli's T20 World cup match against Pakistan was a highlight.

In 2022, Indian cricket was chaotic both on and off the field. The team lost a Test series in South Africa and the World Cup semi-final to England. Hardik Pandya emerged as a new leader of the national T20 team. Suryakumar Yadav's batting drew comparisons with AB de Villiers. Roger Binny was installed as the new BCCI chief.