2017 in review: Top five controversies that rocked Indian sports
(Home Image Photo Courtesy: PTI)
(Home Image Photo Courtesy: PTI)
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Anurag Thakur ousted as BCCI president: The Supreme Court sacked Anurag Thakur as the BCCI president on January 2. He was removed on contempt-of-court charges with regard to the implementation of the Lodha committee reforms. Even Ajay Shirke was removed as the secretary of BCCI the same day. (Photo Courtesy: PTI)
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Leander Paes dropped from Davis Cup team: The rivalry between Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi took a new turn when the non-playing captain dropped the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic bronze medallist for the Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan in April. Bhupathi expressed stress-handling situations as the reason for exclusion of Paes, who hadn't been dropped from the team since his Davis Cup debut in 1990. (Photo Courtesy: PTI)
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Virat Kohli vs Anil Kumble: The biggest controversy of the year in Indian cricket was the rift between captain Virat Kohli and the then head coach Anil Kumble. Rumours of the rift began to appear when the BCCI opened applications for the head coach's job a few days before the Champions Trophy. After Kumble's contract ended following the Champions Trophy, he was asked to continue for the West Indies tour, but he decided to stay back for the ICC 'Annual Conference'. A day after India's departure for the Caribbean, Kumble resigned as head coach – saying his relationship with the skipper is unsustainable. (Photo Courtesy: IANS)
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India's men's hockey coach Roelant Oltmans sacked: Hockey India sacked Roelant Oltmans as the Indian team’s chief coach in September due to below-par performances in 18 months prior to the decision. The Dutch was appointed as chief coach in 2016 after working as High Performance Director since 2013. A few days after his sacking, Sjoerd Marijne was appointed as the chief coach. (Photo Courtesy: PTI)
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Sushil Kumar's bizarre return to wrestling Nationals: After a barren run of nine years without winning a gold medal in wrestling Nationals, Sushil Kumar ended the streak when he secured gold in the 74kg category but not without drama. The Olympic medallist had to wrestle in just two of the five bouts, with 'out of respect' walkovers in the quarterfinals, semifinals and final from his opponents. It received mixed reactions, with some celebrating his return while others calling it a farcical affair. (Photo Courtesy: PTI)