Famous Sports and Players of India (Top SSC Questions)
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Table of Contents
A practice set covering 25 famous Indian sportspersons and their landmark achievements across cricket, hockey, badminton, wrestling and more, with practice questions and FAQs.
Sports and players of India is a popular static GK topic in SSC exams. This practice set covers 25 legendary Indian athletes and their landmark achievements across cricket, hockey, badminton, wrestling, boxing, shooting, athletics and more, followed by practice questions and FAQs.
Famous Sports and Players of India: Quick Reference Table
| # | Player | Sport | Landmark Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket | Highest run-scorer in international cricket; first to score 100 international centuries |
| 2 | Kapil Dev | Cricket | Captained India to its first Cricket World Cup win in 1983 |
| 3 | MS Dhoni | Cricket | Only captain to win the T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy |
| 4 | Major Dhyan Chand | Hockey | Known as the "Hockey Wizard"; won 3 Olympic gold medals (1928, 1932, 1936) |
| 5 | Saina Nehwal | Badminton | First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in badminton (2012, bronze) |
| 6 | P.V. Sindhu | Badminton | First Indian woman to win two Olympic medals (2016 silver, 2020 bronze) |
| 7 | Sushil Kumar | Wrestling | First Indian to win two individual Olympic medals (2008 bronze, 2012 silver) |
| 8 | Sakshi Malik | Wrestling | First Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal (2016, bronze) |
| 9 | Mary Kom | Boxing | Six-time World Amateur Boxing Champion; Olympic bronze (2012) |
| 10 | Abhinav Bindra | Shooting | First Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal (2008, 10m air rifle) |
| 11 | Milkha Singh | Athletics | Known as the "Flying Sikh"; legendary sprinter |
| 12 | P.T. Usha | Athletics | Legendary sprinter; narrowly missed an Olympic medal by 1/100th of a second (1984) |
| 13 | Neeraj Chopra | Javelin Throw | First Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics (2020 Tokyo) |
| 14 | Viswanathan Anand | Chess | Five-time World Chess Champion |
| 15 | Leander Paes | Tennis | Multiple Grand Slam doubles titles; Olympic bronze (1996) |
| 16 | Sania Mirza | Tennis | First Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title (doubles) |
| 17 | Prakash Padukone | Badminton | First Indian to win the All England Open Championship (1980) |
| 18 | Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Shooting | First Indian to win an individual Olympic silver medal (2004, double trap) |
| 19 | Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting | First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal (2000, bronze) |
| 20 | Balbir Singh Sr. | Hockey | Scored the most goals by an individual in an Olympic hockey final (1952) |
| 21 | Sunil Gavaskar | Cricket | First batsman in the world to score 10,000 Test runs |
| 22 | Pullela Gopichand | Badminton | Won the All England Open Championship (2001); renowned coach |
| 23 | Anju Bobby George | Athletics | First Indian athlete to win a medal at the World Championships in Athletics (2003, long jump) |
| 24 | Koneru Humpy | Chess | Prominent Indian woman chess Grandmaster |
| 25 | Devendra Jhajharia | Para-athletics (Javelin) | Two-time Paralympic gold medallist in javelin throw |
Practice Questions on Sports and Players
- Q1. Who was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal?
Answer: Abhinav Bindra (2008, shooting) - Q2. Who is known as the "Hockey Wizard"?
Answer: Major Dhyan Chand - Q3. Who is the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics?
Answer: Neeraj Chopra (2020 Tokyo, javelin throw) - Q4. Who captained India to its first Cricket World Cup win?
Answer: Kapil Dev (1983) - Q5. Who is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal?
Answer: Karnam Malleswari (2000, weightlifting) - Q6. Who is known as the "Flying Sikh"?
Answer: Milkha Singh - Q7. How many times has Viswanathan Anand been World Chess Champion?
Answer: Five times - Q8. Who is the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals?
Answer: Sushil Kumar (wrestling) - Q9. Who is the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal?
Answer: Sakshi Malik (2016, bronze) - Q10. Who holds the record for scoring 100 international centuries in cricket?
Answer: Sachin Tendulkar
Tips to Remember Sports and Players for SSC
- Focus on "firsts" (first Olympic gold, first Grand Slam, first World Champion), since SSC frequently frames questions this way.
- Group players by sport for structured revision rather than learning names randomly.
- This set focuses on well-established, historic achievements rather than ongoing rankings, which change frequently — check our current affairs section for recent sporting events.
- Practice more with our previous year questions and study material.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Who was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal?
Abhinav Bindra won India's first individual Olympic gold medal in shooting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
2. Who is known as the "Hockey Wizard" of India?
Major Dhyan Chand is known as the "Hockey Wizard" and won three Olympic gold medals in hockey.
3. Who is the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics?
Neeraj Chopra won India's first Olympic gold medal in athletics in the javelin throw at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
4. Who captained India's first Cricket World Cup-winning team?
Kapil Dev captained the Indian cricket team to its first World Cup victory in 1983.
5. Who is the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal?
Karnam Malleswari was the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, a bronze in weightlifting at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
6. Why is Milkha Singh called the "Flying Sikh"?
Milkha Singh earned the nickname "Flying Sikh" for his remarkable speed as a legendary Indian sprinter.
7. How many times has Viswanathan Anand won the World Chess Championship?
Viswanathan Anand has won the World Chess Championship five times.
8. Who is the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals?
Sushil Kumar, a wrestler, is the first Indian to win two individual Olympic medals (2008 and 2012).
9. Who is the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal?
Sakshi Malik won a bronze medal in wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to do so.
10. Who holds the record for 100 international centuries in cricket?
Sachin Tendulkar holds the record of scoring 100 international centuries, a milestone unmatched by any other cricketer.
11. Who was the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title?
Sania Mirza was the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title, in doubles tennis.
12. Who is the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championship?
Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to win the All England Open Championship, in 1980.
13. How should I prepare sports-related GK for SSC exams?
Focus on landmark "first" achievements and group players by sport, since these are the most commonly tested facts.
14. Who is Devendra Jhajharia?
Devendra Jhajharia is a two-time Paralympic gold medallist in the javelin throw.
15. Where can I find more sports GK practice sets?
Visit our Practice Papers section for more sports and GK-based SSC practice sets.
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Rahul is a senior SSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CGL, CHSL and MTS exams. He writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.
