Top 10 sports biographies of Indian athletes

The life stories of top athletes are always inspiring. Learning about their journey to the top is enough to motivate anyone to chase their dreams. And what better way to get an insight into the world’s best than to read their biographies or autobiographies? In Biographies we get to know about what makes these individuals the best in their business. We also get to know the thought process of these Champions.

Here is a look at the top 10 Indian Sports Biographies:

Playing it my way - Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the best cricketers to have ever graced the game and one of the best sportspersons to be born in India. A collaborative work of Boria Majumdar and the Little Master himself, the book tells us the story of Sachin’s early life and his playing career. Given his massive fanbase, it isn’t a surprise that the book was a bestseller. Sachin’s autobiography made it to the record books as the best-selling adult hardback in both fiction and non-fiction categories.

Ace against Odds - Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza is a former doubles World No. 1 and has won multiple titles in her career. She is arguably India‘s best female tennis player yet. Mirza has won all the grand slam titles at least once. Her biography Ace Against Odds chronicles her journey to being one of India’s and the World’s top tennis players.  Released in 2016 the book is the collaborative work of Sania Mirza, Shivani Gupta and Imran Mirza. The book also gives us an insight into the Tennis star’s personal life and her encounter with different people both on and off the court.

Playing to win - Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal is the only female Badminton player from India to become World No. 1 in the rankings. Considered to be one of the best Badminton players from India, Nehwal is credited for popularizing the game in India. After losing out in the quarter-finals in Beijing 2008, In 2012 Saina Nehwal became the first Indian badminton player to win a medal in the Olympics. The autobiography gives an insight into her life both on and off the court(as the cover of the book suggests). From her extreme workout routines to her love for shopping, everything that helps the Champion athlete tick is available in the book.

Unbreakable - Mary Kom

Mary Kom is the most successful woman boxer in the world and has won the World Amateur Record championships for a record six times. She is also the first Indian Woman Boxer to win a medal in the Olympics. However, Mary Kom’s life has always been a life of struggles. Born in a small village to landless agricultures, the former World No. 1 had to overcome many struggles to become the best in the World. Mary Kom and Dina Serto record all those struggles and triumphs in her autobiography Unbreakable.

The Race of My Life - Milkha Singh

A very famous Bollywood movie has already been made based on Milkha Singh’s autobiography The Race of My Life. Milkha Singh was an athlete who won Gold medals in Asian Games as well as the Commonwealth Games. The book gives us a portrayal of the legendary athlete’s life. From getting caught up in the violence of partition as a child to missing out on an Olympic medal because of an error in judgement.

Golden Girl - The Autobiography of PT Usha

P.T. Usha is one of the pioneers of Track and Field events in India. She has set many National and Asian records in her career and has also won multiple medals in Asian Games in multiple events. The Payyoli Express missed out on an Olympic medal by 1/100th of a second in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Golden Girl: The Autobiography of PT Usha is a collaborative work of P.T. Usha and Lokesh Sharma records the life and career of this legendary athlete.

A shot at History My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold - Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra created history when he won the Gold medal in the 10m air-rifle category in the 2008 Olympics. The win meant Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold in Olympic history. In the preceding Olympics Bindra finished seventh, this according to him was one of the darkest moments of his career. In his autobiography, Bindra talks about his obsession to win a Gold in the Olympics. He also talks about his coaches, inspirations and some of the memorable moments of his career. The book was co-written by Rohit Brijnath.

The Small Wonder - Dipa Karmakar

In the Rio Olympics 2016, Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman to compete in the Olympics. She was also the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Commonwealth Games. Karmakar ended up finishing fourth in the Rio Olympics. Karmakar is credited for bringing gymnastics as a sport to the limelight in India. The book talks about how Gymnastics as a sport has been sidelined over the years in India. It also has a detailed account of all the stages of the athlete’s life.

Goal! -  Dhyan Chand

'Goal' is the autobiography of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand written by the great man himself. Dhyan Chand is considered one of the best Hockey players to have played the game. The Padma Bhusan award winner has won three Olympic Golds in hockey. Playing as a centre forward Dhyan Chand has scored more than 550 goals for the Indian National team. In his autobiography, the legend talks about his journey as a hockey player. He also elaborates on the technicalities of the game.

Born again on the Mountain - Arunima Sinha

The real-life story of Mountaineer Arunima Sinha is no less exciting than a commercial movie. In 2013 Arunima became the first female amputee to climb Mount Everest. Sinha also played Volleyball for India. However, in 2011 in resisting some robbers, Sinha was pushed off a running train. She lost her legs in that accident. However, that unfortunate accident didn’t stop Arunima. The book portrays the story of her resilience and her story of triumph against all odds.