Bengaluru, February 18: A lot has happened in the year 2017 and the world of sports, too, has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The year witnessed some of the most iconic and memorable sporting moments including a bit of controversy. There were public spats, unexpected behaviour on the field and iconic figures being axed. The year 2017 has surely seen it all sending shockwaves across the sports community. Here's a look at the major controversies that rocked the year 2017.

Virat Kolhi vs Anil Kumble: No doubt, cricket is arguably the most-followed sport in India. It has a tendency to evoke emotions unlike any other sport in the country. And, when someone as popular as Team India captain and coach are in question, it's bound to generate a lot of buzz. The rift between Kumble and Kohli came out in public after the latter rendered a public resignation following his untenable differences with the Indian captain. Rumours of the rift began to appear when the BCCI opened applications for the head coach's job a few days before the Champions Trophy.

Leander Paes vs Mahesh Bhupati: Another shocking clash emerged in Indian tennis when two iconic stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati went public with their alleged spat. The rivalry between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati took a new turn when the non-playing captain dropped the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic bronze medallist for the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan in April. Bhupati expressed stress-handling situations as the reason for exclusion of Paes, who hadn't been dropped from the team since his Davis Cup debut in 1990.

Thakur axed as BCCI president: The world of Indian cricket suffered a huge setback when Anurag Thakur was forced to step down as the BCCI president by the Supreme Court on January 2. The decision came after Thakur and BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke failed to implement all the Lodha Committee recommendations in the functioning of the board.

Sushil Kumar's bizarre return to wrestling Nationals: After a barren run of nine years without a gold medal in wrestling Nationals, Sushil Kumar ended the streak when he secured gold in the 74kg category but not without drama. The Olympic medallist had to wrestle in just two of the five bouts, with 'out of respect' walkovers in the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final from his opponents. It received mixed reactions, with some celebrating his return while others calling it a farcical affair.