The year 2017 has thrown up some incredible sporting moments surrounding Indian sports. From the India men's and women's cricket team reaching the final of the ICC Champions Trophy and the Women's World Cup respectively to the sudden news of Virat Kohli tying the nuptial knot with Anushka Sharma, fans on Twitter kept the discussions on like never.
Even the biggest sporting event in India this year -- the FIFA U-17 World Cup -- generated quite a sensational buzz on the micro-blogging website, which changed its character limit from 140 to 280...also this year.
Kohli, who also took over as the captain of the India cricket ODI and T20I teams from MS Dhoni, remained the most talked-about sportsperson in India on Twitter this year, hands down. And he was rewarded as the most followed person.
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, however, still continues to be the most-followed sportsperson on Twitter. Following his retirement from playing cricket, the Master-Blaster has been donning a plethora of hats.
From being the co-owner of a football team, a badminton team and even a kabaddi team to being a Rajya Sabha MP, Tendulkar has been always in the news this 2017 and his frequent tweets on various issues have attracted a lot of twitter followers, even more than India PM Narendra Modi, Salman Khan or Amitabh Bachchan.
Meanwhile, these were the most talked-about sporting moments on Twitter in 2017
Dhoni Steps Down
MS Dhoni ended his tenure as India limited overs captain after a decade, one that began with him lifting the World T20 in 2007. His surprise move certainly got people talking and Twitter saw an outpour of emotions as India's legendary skipper decided to step down from a position he had made his own.
Thanks for always being the leader a youngster wants to have around him. You'll always be my captain @msdhoni Bhai ??
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 6, 2017
India triumph over Australia, without Kohli!
No Virat Kohli, no problem! That's exactly the mantra India used as they downed the Aussies in the 4th Test in Dharamsala. With Kohli injured and Rahane as stand-in captain, India managed to seal a historic 2-0 series win. Indian fans took to Twitter in jubilant fashion, lauding Team India for their efforts.
Do what's right, the right way and at the right time and Team India did that beautifully throughout this season. Brilliant work lads @Bcci
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) March 28, 2017
MI's incredible one-run heist
Mumbai Indians pulled off an improbable win against Rising Pune Supergiants in the 10th edition of the IPL to seal their third title. In match that seemed to be going Pune's way for the longest time, Mumbai's bowlers fought back and pulled things back in the death. Fans took to Twitter expressing shock and jubilation, depending on the side they were rooting for.
I have to say @ImRo45 captaincy was first class. Under pressure he backed his gut instinct. A huge congratulations
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) May 21, 2017
INDvPAK
When India plays Pakistan it always draws in the eyeballs. So, when the two rivals met in the final of an ICC event it was no surprise that the chatter around it reached an all-time high. #INDvPAK, the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Final clash, was the most Tweeted about ODI ever with 1.8 million Tweets.
This performance will be remembered long by both Indian and Pakistani fans :) Pakistan 've made this #CT17 truly memorable
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) June 18, 2017
Harmanpreet takes #WWC17 by storm
During the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, the Australian team entered the semifinals as the favourites against India in #INDWvAUSW. It was a special moment for Team India as Harmanpreet Kaur stepped up to the occasion and smashed 171 runs off 115 balls. Kaur came out to bat after India lost both openers Smriti Mandhana and Punam Raut for 35 runs. All the VITs took Twitter to congratulate her. Even Sachin Tendulkar could not keep himself from lauding the 28-year-old, that's how good the innings was!
Raging performance by @ImHarmanpreet ??way to go.. #Girlpower ?#IndvsAus #WWC17
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) July 20, 2017
Sindhu-Okuhara set the court on fire
In a World Championship final match that went on for an hour and 49 minutes, Sindhu and Okuhara set the court ablaze with some scintillating Badminton. Sindhu failed to come out on top losing 19-21, 22-20, 20-22. Her efforts though didn't go unnoticed and Indian fans just couldn't stop Tweeting about the spectacle they witnessed from the Olympic Silver medalist.
Congrats @Pvsindhu1 ,winning n loosing is part of sports n life but U played like a brave gladiator?
— Maj Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) August 27, 2017
We as a nation are proud of PV #Sindhu pic.twitter.com/hPjeJDkTay
India qualifies for 2019 AFC Asian Cup
In a group comprising Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Macau, India beat all odds to come out on top! With 13 points, India stormed through to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup for just the 4th time ever. Needless to say, the delight of the Indian fans was resonated on Twitter.
Today is what happens when a team decides to stick together,battle for each other and get the job done. Tough,tough game but did enough.
— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) June 13, 2017
Srikanth becomes first to four!
India's star Badminton player Srikanth Kidambi became the first Indian badminton player to win four Super Series titles in a year. The moment was sealed when he lifted the French Open title by beating Kento Nishimoto 21-14, 21-13. That 4th Super Series title won fans' hearts on Twitter.
This is some performance from @srikidambi wow wow wow! 4th super series of the year! Incredible. Congrats to him and team Gopichand.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) October 29, 2017
India shines at the Hockey Asia Cup
India's Men's hockey team lifted the first Hockey Asia Cup title in 10 years. Within a span of few weeks, it was Indian Women's team who did the same, beating higher-ranked China 5-4 in a thrilling penalty shootout. This win also helped them to seal a spot in the 2018 World Cup. Big moment? You bet!
These big victories roared loud on Twitter, becoming one of the most talked about moment in 2017.
Splendid effort by the #MenInBlue! What a start to the festive season. Thanks, @TheHockeyIndia for putting a big smile to our face? #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/bpnUzUbcJo
— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 15, 2017
Rohit's third double ton
Scoring a double-century in ODIs is rare enough, doing it three times is quite unique. That's exactly what Rohit Sharma managed to do in the 2nd ODI vs Sri Lanka, scoring an unbeaten 208, becoming the first player to do it three times. The excitement on-field was matched on Twitter as well, with fans showering praise on the India opener.
Sunil Gavaskar: Convert 1s into 2s
— Trendulkar (@Trendulkar) December 13, 2017
Rohit Sharma: Convert 100s into 200s
