Year-ender 2023: From Asian Games pride to Cricket WC heartbreak, here’re sporting events that marked the year

The year 2023 was a bitter-sweet experience for sports lovers in India. While the Indian contingent made the country proud at the Asian Games, cricket fans underwent a major heartbreak as Team India lost in the World Cup Final, despite remaining hot favourites and undefeated in the tournament.

From Odisha’s perspective, it was all about pride and laurel as the state hosted the Men’s Hockey World Cup for the second time in a row while Kishore Kumar Jena won silver medal in javelin throw in Asian Games.

Here’s a look at the significant sporting events and moments for India in 2023.

Cricket World Cup 2023: Under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, Team India delivered a remarkable performance in the ICC Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, securing victory in 10 consecutive matches to advance to the final. In the final match against Australia, the Indian team faced challenges on a sluggish pitch, managing to post a total of 240 runs. Australia successfully chased down the target, with Travis Head’s century playing a pivotal role in their six-wicket win, shattering the hopes of millions of Indian fans.

 

Virat Kohli’s 50th century: The 50th ODI century of Virat Kohli was a landmark moment, not just for the Indian batsman himself, but for the entire cricketing fraternity. It was an achievement that solidified his place among the all-time greats of the game and etched his name in the history books forever. Kohli reached the milestone on November 15, 2023, during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The most significant aspect of Kohli’s 50th century was that it surpassed the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI tons. Tendulkar, who was present at the stadium that day, applauded Kohli’s achievement, adding to the emotional weightage of the moment. There was a touch of destiny about Kohli’s feat as well. He scored his 50th ton on the same date and at the same venue where Tendulkar played his last international innings in 2013.

 

Hockey World Cup 2023: Odisha became the first state to host Men’s Hockey World Cup for the second time consecutively. The 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup was held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela from 13 to 29 January 2023. Germany won their third title after defeating the defending champions Belgium in the final 5–4 in a shoot-out after the match finished 3–3 in regular time.

 

Odisha’s javelin star Kishore Kumar Jena: Born in Kothasahi village in Puri district of Odisha, Kishore Kumar Jena brought laurels to the state as he bagged silver medal in javelin throw in Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China with a personal best of 87.54 metres and sealed his berth in the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.

 

Asian Games 2023: India achieved a historic milestone at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, clinching a total of 107 medals (28 Gold, 38 Silver, 41 Bronze medals). The Indian contingent shattered the country’s previous record of 70 medals in the 2018 edition. Notably, athletics contributed 29 medals, while archery and shooting accounted for 9 and 22 medals, respectively.

 

Asian Para Games 2023: The success in Asian Games was followed by the triumph of the Indian contingent in the Asian Para Games which finished with 111 medals including 29 Gold medals, surpassing all previous records. The biggest haul for India came from athletics, with the Indian contingent securing 55 medals including 18 Gold medals.

 

World Athletics Championship 2023: Indian Athletes showed exceptional performance in August of 2023, with Neeraj Chopra winning India’s first-ever Gold medal in javelin throw in the prestigious World Athletics Championship. The Indian 4x400m Relay Team had a spectacular run in the World Athletics Championship, finishing 5th in the Finals and breaking the Asian Record on road to the finals.

 

FIDE World Cup 2023: In chess, Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa finished second in the FIDE World Cup after a well-fought final against the World Number-1, Magnus Carlsen.

Satwiksairaj Reddy and Chirag Shetty became the first-ever Indian pair to win the prestigious Swiss Open Badminton Championship. The final clash against the unseeded Chinese pair of Ren Xiang Yu and Tan Qiang was a nail-biting affair. In a tightly contested match, Satwik and Chirag’s attacking style and solid defence proved decisive. They emerged victorious with a 21-19, 24-22 scoreline, sending a wave of jubilation across the Indian badminton fraternity.

MotoGP Bharat: In a breakthrough moment for the development of motorsports in India, the first-ever MotoGP Bharat was organized at the Buddha International Circuit, Noida. As many as 22 riders representing 11 teams contested for the coveted title with Marzo Bezzecchi of Italy winning the inaugural MotoGP Bharat.