2022 is almost in its final week, with the return of Covid, Bollywood’s failing to big sports events, the year was memorable in many ways. There were several big tournaments apart from the annual IPL, the Asia Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the T20 World Cup and the Football World Cup which kept fans on their toes. And chewing their nails.
Here are some of the best sports moments of 2022 which made millions of sports fans emotional, cheerful and what not.
Cricket is religion in India, so let’s deal with it first. There was everything for Team India to achieve and prove this year but the Indian team broke the hearts of fans in big tournaments. First, the Asia Cup loss to Sri Lanka gave a sad trailer and then the humiliating defeat in the T20 World Cup semi-finals was a film no one would want to buy tickets for. The cherry on the cake was the Indian women’s cricket team’s silly loss in women cricket’s debut finals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Kohli’s Virat form and Surya’s shining moments
Yes, it is true that this year has not been a memorable one for Indian cricket and their fans but Team India’s star batsman Virat Kohli and rising star Suryakumar Yadav impressed with their batting brilliance and consistency.
How can one forget that heart-stopping India-Pakistan match in T20 World Cup 2022 when Virat Kohli snatched the game from Pakistan’s clutches with his powerhouse innings. His two back-to-back sixes against Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has become immortal in the hearts of Indian fans.
Virat Kohli has been ruling the world of cricket for the last decade, but in a true sense, Indian fans got maximum joy this year from middle order batsman Suryakumar Yadav. Surya impressed everyone with his fearless approach and ability to play shots all around the ground. SKY, who took the entire year by storm, proved that after Dhoni, Virat and Rohit, there is another batsman on whom Indian fans can put their trust on.
Now that cricket’s done, let’s have a look at other big sports.
Messi’s dream comes true, heartbreak for Ronaldo and Neymar
The FIFA World Cup 2022 held in Qatar saw many beautiful moments. What’s football if it isn’t emotional leaving fans all over the world in varying moods. The dream of every star player is to win the World Cup. Argentina legend Lionel Messi got his beautiful moment, but Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo’s dream remained unfulfilled this time too as Morocco blanked out his team in the quarterfinals.
The condition of Brazilian star Neymar Jr was similar when his team was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Neymar burst into tears though he hasn’t ever held back the tear glands. Every tear from his eyes screamed out how much winning the World Cup meant to him.
World witnessed Federer, Nadal, crying their heart out
Sport teaches everything as it lets you experience victory, defeat, discipline, patience, hard work and several other facets of life. In 2020, there were some moments when players were unable to hide their emotions behind their steel facade and left their fans emotional too.
Remember the last match of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal when both started crying inconsolably after the match. In September 2022, Federer announced that he will play his last professional match in the Laver Cup. Nadal was his partner in Federer’s last match. Destiny left its mark on the match when it didn’t let these top-ranked stars playing together win.
After the match, Federer cried like a child. Seeing tears in his partner’s eyes, Nadal could not help it and he too became emotional. Whoever saw this moment must have had moist eyes as well.
India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s cricket final at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday to retain the gold medal.
India posted 211 for six after being sent in to bat, before restricting Pakistan to 192 for six in their 20 overs. The victory gave India their second successive Asian Games gold medal in men’s cricket.
India post 211 in final
India’s batting was led by Abhishek Sharma, who scored 61 off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma contributed 51 off 22 balls.
The two batters provided the momentum as India reached 211 for six from their 20 overs.
India captain Shreyas Iyer had won the toss and elected to bat first in the final.
Pakistan fall 19 runs short
Pakistan’s chase was anchored by Hasan Nawaz, who made 96 from 51 balls. Saim Ayub added 29 from 22 balls, but Pakistan finished on 192 for six after 20 overs.
India’s Axar Patel and Washington Sundar each took two wickets as Pakistan fell short of the target.
The result secured the gold medal for India, while Pakistan finished with silver. Sri Lanka won the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh in the bronze-medal match.
India retain Asian Games cricket title
The victory marked India’s second consecutive men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games. India had also won the men’s cricket gold at the Hangzhou edition.
India’s victory over Pakistan also completed a gold-medal double for the country in cricket at the 2026 Asian Games, after the women’s team won the women’s cricket final earlier in the competition.
Jasprit Bumrah added another milestone to his international career on Thursday after taking the field for India against Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semifinal in Japan.
Bumrah’s appearance at Nishin made him the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries, according to the report. He moved ahead of former India captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who have each played T20Is in 12 countries.
Bumrah’s 13-country T20I record
Before playing in Japan, Bumrah had represented India in T20Is in 12 other countries — India, Australia, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the United States, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
His appearance in Japan took the tally to 13. Kohli, Rohit and Bhuvneshwar had played in all of those countries except Japan, leaving Bumrah alone at the top of the list.
Kohli and Rohit cannot add to their totals as both have retired from T20I cricket, according to the source.
Bumrah shines against Sri Lanka
Bumrah also made an immediate impact in his first T20I appearance in Japan. He claimed two wickets in his opening over against Sri Lanka and finished with figures of 2/7 in two overs.
India went on to dismiss Sri Lanka for 45 in 9.5 overs and won the semifinal by 124 runs to book a place in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final.
The result set up an India-Pakistan gold-medal clash, scheduled for October 3.
Jasprit Bumrah has become the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries. His appearance against Sri Lanka in Japan took him past Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who have played T20Is in 12 countries each.
India produced a remarkable batting performance to defeat West Indies by eight wickets in the second ODI in Guwahati, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
West Indies posted 405 for 7 in their 50 overs after centuries from John Campbell, Shai Hope and Amir Jangoo. India then produced an emphatic response, reaching 406 for 2 in just 43.3 overs.
Shubman Gill led the chase with an unbeaten 223, while Rohit Sharma provided strong support with a century.
Gill’s record-breaking double century
Gill remained unbeaten on 223 from 133 balls and completed his double century in 117 deliveries.
His innings made him the first batter to score an ODI double century in 117 balls, according to the report. His unbeaten 223 was also recorded as the highest ODI score by an Indian captain and the highest score by an Indian in an ODI chase.
Gill’s innings contained a combination of boundaries and sustained attacking batting as India comfortably reached the target set by West Indies.
Rohit Sharma scores 101
Rohit Sharma also produced a century during India’s chase, scoring 101 from 75 balls.
The innings also saw Rohit reach the milestone of 12,000 ODI runs. He became the third Indian batter to reach the landmark after Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli contributed 29 runs before being dismissed during the chase.
West Indies post 405
Earlier, West Indies put up a huge total of 405 for 7 in their allotted 50 overs.
John Campbell scored 101, while Shai Hope made 104. Amir Jangoo also struck a century, scoring 114.
Despite the three centuries, West Indies could not defend the total as India’s top order produced a dominant chase.
India take 2-0 series lead
India completed the chase in 43.3 overs, finishing on 406 for 2 and securing an eight-wicket victory.
The result gives India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, with the second match producing a record-breaking individual performance from captain Shubman Gill.
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