Top five incidents that shocked Indian sports in 2024

The year 2024 was a thrilling rollercoaster of sporting action!

The 2024 calendar year was thrilling for Indian sports fans, with athletes shining brightly across various disciplines and etching their names in history. It was a momentous year, marked by the grandeur of the Olympics held in August. The event captivated the nation, with over a billion eager viewers glued to their screens, cheering passionately as India’s sporting stars showcased their prowess on the world stage.

Manu Bhaker’s sensational performance and India’s men’s hockey team’s brilliance against Great Britain in the quarterfinals was the hallmark of the Paris Games, in what turned out to be an otherwise disappointing campaign for Team India, with the nation ending its campaign without a gold medal.

Also Read: Top five youngest athletes to win Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award

However, the disappointment of the Games was overshadowed by a wave of jubilation in cricket, the nation’s most beloved sport. India ended their 13-year-long drought by clinching the T20 World Cup trophy in Barbados, delivering a moment of pride and celebration for millions of fans.

The year 2024 was indeed a rollercoaster ride for Indian sports, filled with triumphs, heartbreaks, and unforgettable moments. While there were moments of celebration, many outcomes fell short of the high hopes placed by fans, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste.

On that note, let’s take a look at the top five incidents that shocked Indian sports in 2024.

5. Archery disappointments at the Paris Olympics

After a decent performance in qualifications, the archery team was expected to end its long draught and bring home a medal. However, that wasn’t to be. In the women’s team clash, the youngest member Bhajan Kaur was the only consistent archer for India, with an average of 9.33 points. During the quarterfinal contest against Netherlands, after losing the first set, the Indian team started the second set on a high note with 28 points (10, 10, and 8 by Deepika).

The Dutch archers responded with 26. However, the Indian women’s team couldn’t sustain the momentum, as both Bhajan Kaur and Deepika Kumari shot a 6, to make things worse for India. India ended up losing the second set 49-54. Just as it seemed like the Indian women’s team could make a comeback, Ankita started the series with a 4, and all hopes for the Indian team were shattered.

India failed to recover with the final scoreline reading 6-0. Ankita Bhakat’s average was 7.33, and Deepika’s average was 8. Both let the team down, throwing away an opportunity to win an Olympic medal. Kumari though, put an inspired performance in the singles event before crashing out of the quarterfinals to Korea’s ace archer.

Also Read: Top five greatest Indian gymnasts of all-time

Dhiraj Bommadevara, after excelling in the qualifying rounds by finishing fourth, was left heartbroken in the singles contest as despite scoring a 10 in the tiebreaker, he was eventually eliminated in a mighty close and tough encounter.

The pairing of Ankita Bhakat and Dhiraj Bommadevara fell short of a historic archery medal as they finished fourth losing to USA’s Casey Kaufhold and Brady Ellison in the bronze medal match of the mixed team event. In the semi-final, the Indian pair faced tough competition from two-time Olympic finalists Siheye Lim and Wo Jin Kim of Korea. Despite taking an early 2-0 lead, they couldn’t maintain their advantage and lost the match.

Hence, it was a case of so close yet so far for all Indian archers, who failed to show composure in nervy moments and will have to wait for India’s maiden Olympic medal in archery to continue.

4. Nishant Dev’s controversial decision

Nishant Dev missed the Paris Olympics medal by a narrow margin, suffering a heartbreaking loss in the quarterfinals as the Indian Boxer was on the receiving end of a split-decision loss against Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez in the 71kg category.

He was just one win away from assuring India another medal at the Paris Olympic Games. Dev won the first round 4-1, and looked in complete control of the bout in the second round as well, where he landed a series of massive jab hooks on the Mexican, yet the judges surprisingly sided with Alvarez in that round, putting him 3-2 ahead in the tie. The Indian boxer, who had defeated his Mexican counterpart previously, lost the final round as well.

An understandably heartbroken Nishant confessed he couldn’t fathom that he lost the match and alleged bias on the part of the judges for his loss. This controversial decision enraged Indian fans, and they urged the Olympic body to review the sport and its inconsistent judging criteria. Nishant Dev’s defeat meant India went home without a medal in the field of Boxing.

3. Vinesh Phogat retires after being disqualified from the Olympics

Hours after celebrating one of the greatest sporting moments in Indian history, when Vinesh Phogat advanced to the finale thereby confirming at least a silver medal, the nation woke up to the shocking news of Phogat being disqualified from the competition, failing to meet the minimum 50 Kg weight criteria. This moment sparked massive controversy mainly outside the sports arena.

Phogat immediately announced his retirement from sports and moved towards politics, as the wrestler joined the Congress Party which happens to be the leading opposition party in the country. Fellow Wrestling athletes including Bajrang Dal also supported the wrestler as Phogat accused the Indian authorities of not taking appropriate care and alleged foul play which resulted in her disqualification.

Also Read: Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award: List of all winners

2. Rishabh Pant released by Delhi Capitals

The IPL 2025 Mega Auction witnessed heavy splurging by all 10 teams with massive spending on the big-name Indian superstars. Earlier the retentions stunned experts and fans as some of the biggest names were not retained with Rishabh Pant headlining the list. The Capitals had appointed Pant as their skipper in 2021, letting go of Iyer who had two phenomenal seasons with Delhi.

During the auction, Pant was Initially sold to Lucknow for 20.75Cr. However, DC exercised their RTM but soon LSG surprised everyone with a huge raise of Rs 26 crore, which the Capitals were unable to match. In the case of a like-to-like swap, former Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul will now head to DC for a relatively lower sum.

1. India bowled out for 46

India’s men’s cricket team hit an all-time low in test cricket losing to the Black Caps 0-3 at home. This marked their first whitewash at home in 24 years, as a second-string New Zealand side whitewashed the invincible Indian team in their backyard. It all began with a poor batting performance in Bangalore as New Zealand made full use of friendly bowling conditions, perfectly exploited by Matt Henry and Tim Southee, who wrapped up India’s batting resulting in an all-time low score post the 36-all-out.

Despite an excellent knock by Sarfraz Khan in the second innings, India went down in Bangalore. A spinning wicket was produced in Pune, however, NZ triumphed over India once again bringing out a wildcard addition in the form of Mitchell Santner, against whom the experienced Indian batters were left clueless.

A similar tale followed on a dust-bowl-like wicket at the Wankhede as Ravichandran Ashwin was largely ineffective throughout the series and while Washington Sundar managed to restrict NZ to an extent, it wasn’t enough in the end as India collapsed yet again in the second innings and fell short of their target by 25 runs.

This series left shockwaves amidst the Indian team and coaching staff and a lot hinges on the Border Gavaskar Trophy as careers are at stake with pressure mounting on the senior players including skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram