From Vijender’s explosive professional debut to Sania’s superb run in world tennis, sports in India record several milestones in 2015

Sports in India recorded several milestones in 2015 - from boxer Vijender Singh's explosive professional debut to Sania Mirza's superb run and Saina Nehwal's exploits to wrestling joining the burgeoning bandwagon of leagues, says a report in The Statesman, adding that Indian cricket, however, was hit by a plethora of controversies which threatened to overshadow on-field events.

“Sania personified Indian tennis with a stupendous rise that catapulted her to the tip of women's doubles rankings. Her association with Swiss great Martina Hingis formed the basis of an unstoppable juggernaut as they complimented each other perfectly to win an astonishing nine titles, a fairy tale journey adorned with prestigious victories at Wimbledon and US Open. They teamed up in 16 events and enjoyed an overwhelming 55-7 win-loss ratio with a 22-match unbeaten streak,” adds the report.

“Away from tennis, Vijender grabbed headlines with his exploits in the ring. The Haryana man started his journey in the professional circuit on an explosive note with three back-to-back knockout and technical knockout (TKO) wins,” says the report.

Meanwhile, a report in The Hindu says that the year will be remembered more for the emergence of Virat Kohli as a Test captain than the team’s series triumphs in Sri Lanka and at home against South Africa. “The defeats in the ODIs in Bangladesh and the Twenty20 match in Zimbabwe were pushed to the background once Kohli’s side bounced back from the setbacks in the shorter formats to outplay the South Africans in the spin-dominated Test series. The retirement of Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan, the return of Shashank Manohar and the exit of N. Srinivasan from the BCCI, and the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years from the Indian Premier League were the other off-the-field events that became part of an action-filled year,” says the report.

According to a report in the Business Standard, wrestlers also saw a momentous year. “Although the performance at Worlds wasn't impressive, Narsingh Pancham Yadav (men's 74 kg) bagged the lone medal to secure a quota place for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The long-term future of the sport got a leg-up with the launch of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL),” says the report.