From cricket to chess, Indian youngsters dominate world stage in 2025

New Delhi [India], December 27 (ANI): In 2025, many young Indian athletes left their mark on the global stage and changed the narrative of Indian sports. While the veterans continued to shine, this year, particularly belonged to a fearless bunch of youngsters who didn't just compete but conquered the big stage.
From cricket to chessboard, young Indian stars ensured that the Indian tricolour was raised higher and more frequently than ever before.
Here's a look at some of the landmark sporting events where Indian youth made a name for themselves on the global stage and made the Indian tricolour rise high:
- Vaibhav Suryavanshi's rise in world cricket
The cricket world witnessed the greatness of 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, whose 2025 season was a relentless assault on the record books. The young cricket sensation was honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar as he became the youngest player to earn an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract, and also the youngest centurion in T20 cricket with a 35-ball IPL century against Gujarat Titans. He also scored the fastest century in U19 ODIs with a 52-ball 143, became the youngest centurion in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a 61-ball 108 and became the youngest player to hit a century in men's List A cricket, among other achievements that marked the arrival of a generational talent.
- Divya Deshmukh's Checkmate to the World
In the world of 64 squares, Divya Deshmukh achieved the unthinkable by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. At just 19, she defeated the legendary Humpy Koneru in an all-Indian final in Georgia, becoming the fourth Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title.
- Rising star Anahat Singh helps India make Squash history
Squash saw a clear passing of the torch as 17-year-old Anahat Singh dominated the circuit. The teenager achieved a rare feat by defeating veteran Joshna Chinappa three times in high-stakes Indian Open and Indian Tour finals throughout the year. However, her crowning glory came in Chennai, where she led the Indian team to their first-ever Squash World Cup title. Her straight-games win, along with wins from Joshna Chinappa and Abhay Singh, in the final against Hong Kong secured the nation's first-ever gold medal.
- Sheetal Devi makes history with Gold at World Para Archery Championship
The inspiring journey of Sheetal Devi reached its peak at the World Para Archery Championships in Gwangju. The 18-year-old Indian armless archery wonder made history by bagging the gold medal in the women's individual compound archery category at the Gwangju event. Sheetal defeated Turkiye's world number one Oznur Cure Girdi by 146-143 in the gold medal clash. Besides her individual gold, Sheetal secured a silver in the team event and a bronze in the mixed team event.
- 25-year-old Sachin Yadav steals spotlight at World Championships
While all eyes were on Neeraj Chopra, 25-year-old Sachin Yadav stole the spotlight at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He threw a personal best of 86.27m to finish fourth, narrowly missing a medal, as he made sure the Indian tricolour remains a permanent fixture in the top echelons in the javelin world.
- Shooting star Samrat Rana wins historic 10m air pistol gold
In the shooting arena, Samrat Rana created history by clinching the men's 10m air pistol gold at the ISSF World Championships 2025 in Cairo. He became the first Indian to win a senior individual world title in an Olympic pistol event, signalling a bright future for Indian shooting at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Shafali Verma's World Cup heroics
In a historic year for women's cricket, Shafali Verma cemented her legacy as a big-match player. During the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 final against South Africa, her aggressive 87 off 78 balls made her the youngest cricketer--male or female--to score a half-century in an ODI World Cup final. Her Player of the Match performance was the driving force behind India Women lifting their first-ever senior World Cup title.
- Indian sprinter Animesh Kujur shatters national records
The athletics track saw the rise of a new sprint sensation in Animesh Kujur. He shattered the long-standing 100m national record by clocking 10.18 seconds at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting 2025 in Greece. Not stopping there, he also set a new 200m record (20.32s) and then became the first-ever Indian sprinter to qualify for the World Championships with 20.63s finish in the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Chennai, putting India on the global sprinting map for the first time in decades. (ANI)