Top Five Moments for India in Sports in 2023: Virat Kohli Record To Neeraj Chopra Becoming World Champion

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2023 is coming to an end in a week and MyKhel looks back at five such moments when Indians felt proud of their sportspersons as those particular moments wrote a new chapter in the history books.

Throughout the year, there were some standout moments, including the Indian cricket team winning 10 matches on the go to reach the World Cup Final at home while teenage Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emulated Viswanathan Anand to reach FIDE World Cup final. Unfortunately, none of those made our top five moments and we take a look at them below:

Virat Kohli surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's ODI century record

India's batting star Virat Kohli scored his 50th ODI century to surpass his cricketing hero Sachin Tendulkar during the World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. In the 42nd over of India's innings, he achieved the feat and bowed to Sachin, who was watching the historic event unfold in front of him from the stands.

Neeraj Chopra becoming World Champion

A gold medal at the World Athletics Championship was formerly unthinkable for any Indian athlete but Neeraj Chopra accomplished that in Budapest after coming close last year. The 25-year-old Haryana threw 88.17 meters to win the gold medal, the first Indian to do so after winning the silver medal last year.

100 medals for India at Asian Games 2023

India took a big step towards improving their stature in the world sport when their athletes broke the 100-medal barrier for the first time. The expectations of 100 medals were built even before Indian contingent left for Hangzhou. In addition to dominating sports like archery and shooting, among others, Indian athletes also left their mark in disciplines that were never thought to be their strong suits.

India finished with a total of 107 medals, starting with a silver in the women's 10m air rifle (shooting) event and concluding with another silver in the men's chess team event.

Satwik-Chirag becoming the World No. 1 pair

This October, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made history as the first Indian doubles team to occupy the top spot in the world badminton rankings. This year, Shetty and Rankireddy took home three BWF crowns.

The Indian team dubbed the "Brothers of Destruction," created history by taking home the nation's first-ever gold medal in badminton at both the Badminton Asia Championships and the Asian Games. At the 2023 National Sports Awards, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are in the running to win India's top athletic honor, the Khel Ratna Award.

India football team beating Kuwait

The Indian football team made fans hopeful of a bright future ahead during the SAFF Championships 2023 in Bengaluru as it dominated and defeated Kuwait, a nation that historically dominated India in the past.

India managed the feat twice against the Arab nation, once at home on penalties and the second time during the World Cup qualifiers in Kuwait City when Manvir Singh's solitary goal sealed the win. Before these wins, India lost to Kuwait 9-1 in a friendly match.