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UP athletes shine bright on field and tracks
Stunning performances by cricketers Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Mavi, Lalit Upadhyay retaining his spot in the team for Men’s Hockey World Cup and Annu Rani and Priyanka Goswami winning silver at Commonwealth put the state in the spotlight in 2022
The year 2022 was a bright period for many young athletes from the state who proved their mettle on the field and on the tracks. Big money, a spot in the Indian cricket and hockey teams, and lucrative jobs for two top sportspersons are some of the achievements. If this continues, then 2023 also promises to be a year filled with excitement for sports in Uttar Pradesh.
For young pacer Shivam Mavi from Noida, it was a dream come true when he was rewarded for his excellent showing in domestic cricket. He got a call from Team India and was selected to play in the home series against Sri Lanka. This wasn’t all for the gutsy bowler as he was sold for a lucrative ₹6 crore in the recent Indian Premier League biddings.
Kuldeep Yadav from Kanpur, who represented Team India after a long break in the Test series against Bangladesh, outperformed. The chainman bowler finished with a 10-wicket haul in the first Test.
Left-arm orthodox spinner Saurabh Kumar from Baghpat also secured a spot in the same Test series against Bangladesh. Meanwhile, two young pacers Mohsin Khan and Yash Dayal too got big money in the IPL bidding event. However, Uttar Pradesh’s overall show in domestic cricket under the leadership of Karan Sharma, who comes from Delhi, was dismal.
In the field of hockey, a member of the historical Olympic bronze-winning men’s team, Lalit Upadhyay, not only managed to retain his spot for the next year’s World Cup, but also become the first hockey star to be appointed to a gazetted post in the Uttar Pradesh government. Judoka Vijay Yadav too was appointed to a gazetted post for winning a bronze medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Uttar Pradesh’s good run in domestic hockey in both junior and senior categories also helped players like Uttam Singh, Vishnukant Singh, Pawan Rajbhar, Shardanand Tewari and Mohd Amir, who represented India teams in both junior and senior events.
Meanwhile, the achievements of Uttar Pradesh’s athletes also put the state on centre stage at numerous international events. Javelin thrower Annu Rani won a historical silver at the Commonwealth Games; Priyanka Goswami won silver in walk; Parul Chaudhary did great in the world championship; and Rupal Chaudhary claimed two medals at the Junior World Athletics. All the athletes are from Meerut who are expected to do well in the 2023 Asian Games and also at the Junior World Championships.
On the other hand, cricket fans will get to watch Lucknow Super Giants play their home IPL matches at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
This isn’t all as the upgradation of sporting facilities at Lucknow’s KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium and the conduct of Khelo India University Games at different locations of the state promise to be the centres of attraction in 2023.
