An eventful year for Indian sports

With a host of big ticket events coming up, Indian sports is looking forward to an eventful and hopefully a successful year in 2016. First up, we have the World Twenty20 which starts in March. Since the tournament will be held in India, the men in blue will enjoy the home advantage. Perhaps keeping the World T20 in mind, the selectors have named several youngsters in the squad for this month's Australian tour.

The Supreme Court-appointed three-member committee led by Justice Rajendra Mohan Lodha has come up with a host of far reaching suggestions intended to clean up cricket administration in the country. If the apex court decides to implement those proposals, it could lead to a drastic change in Indian cricket as far as administration is concerned.

Tennis fans will also follow with keen interest the exploits of thestar women's doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis. Sania won a total of 10 doubles titles in 2015, of which nine were with the Swiss superstar. Their list of conquests included a couple of Grand Slam tournaments in the Wimbledon and US Open.

But the biggest event of the year, which a majority of sports fans around the world look forward to, is the Olympics - the greatest show on earth. India bagged a total of six medals at the London Olympics in 2012 and there are fervent hopes that the tally rises this time round. Since 2016 is an Olympic year, the focus will also be on the Indian men's doubles and mixed doubles combinations at Rio. Sania is expected to partner the evergreen Leander Paes in the mixed doubles event.
The men's doubles combination saw a lot of controversy in 2012, with estranged partners Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi bickering over their preferred choice of partners. Paes had wanted the big serving Rohan Bopanna as a partner, but the latter decided to team up with Bhupathi. But the biggest event of the year, which a majority of sports fans around the world look forward to, is the Olympics - the greatest show on earth.

India bagged a total of six medals at the London Olympics in 2012 and there are fervent hopes that the tally rises this time round. The shooters have consistently brought glory to India over the years and are expected to be on target at Rio as well. Apurvi Chandela - one of seven Indians to have already qualified for the Games - has already sounded a warning to her opponents by setting a new world record on her way to the gold medal in the women's 10 metre air rifle event at the Swedish Cup Grand Prix last Tuesday.

Apart from shooting and tennis, one of the biggest medal hopes for the country will be the wrestlers. Indian grapplers created history at the London Olympics in 2012 by bagging two medals - a silver and a bronze - thanks to Sushil Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt respectively. Form and injury permitting, both could make another appearance, which would definitely be their last. Narsingh Yadav bagged a quota place for the 74kg category at the World Championships last year.

He will take on Sushil in the national trials later in the year to decide India's representative in the category. Like Sushil, Yogeshwar has limited his competition schedule due a chronic knee injury. The 33-year-old has been almost unstoppable in almost every bout he has played recently. If he is fit for the Olympics, Yogeshwar is an almost certain candidate for a medal.