What is common among chess wizards R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh, cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and sprinter Animesh Kujur?
For the unversed, these young Indian sportspersons are making all the right noise, heralding a new era that bodes well for Indian sports in the days to come.
With age on their side, these four gifted stars are making waves on the global stage.
If R Praggnanandhaa (19) is stealing the limelight after defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen at the ongoing Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, Suryavanshi is already a sensation even before making his India debut.
The youngest to score a hundred in T20 cricket (a feat he achieved at this year’s Indian Premier League), the 14-year-old southpaw from Bihar hasn’t let complacency creep in, backing it up with a stellar show for India U-19 on their tour of England.
Now, many of you may not have heard of Kujur (22), hailing from Chhattisgarh. The over 6-footer is eyeing qualification for the World Athletics Championships in the 100m and 200m sprints — which would be a first for an Indian male athlete.
The tall lad is already the country’s fastest, having clocked 10.20 seconds to surpass Gurindervir Singh’s record — and he’s hungry for more.
Though he didn’t come up trumps at the prestigious Monaco Diamond League, he fought hard till the end in the U-23 200m category.
And needless to elaborate on Gukesh (19), who made heads turn by becoming the youngest ever to win the World Chess Championship. And mind you, Praggnanandhaa isn’t the first Indian to beat Carlsen.
In fact, Gukesh did the honours — twice.
Barring Suryavanshi, the other three may not yet be the darlings of the media despite their enviable achievements — but that hardly matters, as they continue taking rapid strides toward the top, slowly and steadily.
Don’t blame Suryavanshi for his superstardom at such a young age. Cricket is a religion in this country, where even a whimper becomes headline-worthy.
However, that doesn’t take away an ounce of credit from Suryavanshi, who seems to have a knack for handling unbridled attention with remarkable ease.
To clarify, we’re not talking here about the likes of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Lakshya Sen and others — who are not only senior to the quartet (considering their rise is happening in parallel), but have already carved out a global presence.
Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh are already international stars, while Suryavanshi and Kujur are following suit.
If there’s one constant in life, it’s transition — as old warhorses make way for a new generation. And it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the future of Indian sports looks bright.
Though it may still be early days for Praggnanandhaa, Suryavanshi, Kujur and Gukesh, they already exhibit the class and perseverance needed to stand out in a sea of ambitious athletes eager to make their mark.
All eyes!
