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The prestigious Forbes India 30 Under 30 list that celebrates young Indian achievers is out, and among the nominees are four sportspersons, who have excelled in their respective fields.
Team India’s Jasprit Bumrah, India women’s cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, shooter Heena Sindhu and goal-keeper of India's women's hockey team have exceeded expectations to make the cut.
Bumrah’s exploits are well chronicled, leading India to a number of wins in ODIs with his toe-crushing yorkers and superb death-over bowling.
The 24-year picked 39 wickets in 23 ODIs last year and his performance saw him merit a place in the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2017.
Harmanpreet Kaur made the world stand up and take notice with her powerful stroke-making when she single-handedly led India to the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup final in 2017.
She bludgeoned the Australian bowlers and scored a breath-taking 171 off a 115 balls in the semi-final to take India to the final after recording a 36-run win over Australia.
India lost the final against England in a thriller but Harmanpreet’s heroics made her a star.
The 28-year-old, who plays in the Big Bash League and the Kia Super League, later revealed that she carried a finger injury during the World Cup.
Her superior performance saw her bag a two-year bat endorsement deal with tyre major CEAT and a promotion with her employers Western Railway – she promoted as Officer on Special Duty (OSD).
Heena Sidhu began 2017 on a high, partnering Jitu Rai to claim the top prize in 10m air pistol mixed event at the ISSF World Cup, in New Delhi last February.
The28-year-old won gold in the women's 10m Air Pistol event at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Brisbane in October and finished the year with a bronze at the 10th Asian Championship 10m Rifle/Pistol in Wako City, Japan in December.
All these accolades came after suffering a finger injury at the beginning of 2017, for which she had to undergo physiotherapy.
What else is a mark of a champion than fighting injury to win three golds in mixed air pistol global competitions with Jitu Rai, including that ISSF World Cup.