BS Decode:These 50 game-changing moments transformed India's sports history

From hockey team's gold rush at Olympics and Kapil Dev holding aloft Prudential World Cup to Neeraj Chopra's superlative throw in Tokyo, here's India's journey via 50 milestones in sports since 1975

1. Second wind, an avalanche

By the 1960s, India’s domination in hockey was on the wane, with the balance of power shifting to Pakistan and Europe. India’s six Olympic gold medals in the sport seemed like a thing of the distant past. It would change in the 1975 World Cup in Malaysia. After huffing and puffing their way to the final against Pakistan, India scored the winner, fittingly by Dhyan Chand’s son Ashok Kumar. After years of decline, the win marked a triumphant return for Indian hockey.

 

2. Taking cue

 

Up until 1977, Michael Ferreira was relatively an obscure name in global cue sports. It would change after the World Billiards Championship in Sydney, when Ferreira would become the first Indian to notch up this prestigious title. The win not only put Indian billiards on the global map, but it also served as a catalyst for future generations of players to take up cue sports.

 

  

3. Creating a racquet

When Prakash Padukone won the All England Open on March 23, 1980, it proved to be a seminal moment for Indian badminton. At a time when badminton was dominated by Denmark, China and Indonesia, Padukone single-handedly made India a force to reckon with.