1. Sachin Tendulkar fielded for Pakistan once
Ahead of a Test series in 1987, India and Pakistan were playing an exhibition match where Imran Khan's team was short on fielders. It was then that a 13-year-old Sachin was asked to field for Pakistan.
2. PT Usha started her career with a scholarship of Rs 250
Usha had faced poverty and ill health as a child. But her talent won her a scholarship of Rs 250 per month, allowing her to study in a sports school in Kannur, Kerala, where she trained and eventually became the "Queen of Track and Field" in India.
3. Sunil Gavaskar saved a family from a mob during the Hindu-Muslim riots in 1992-93
Gavaskar saw a family in a taxi being chased by a mob from his window. He immediately asked his wife to call the police and ran down to stand between the mob and the taxi. He then told the mob that they would have to kill him before going forward. They eventually left and the family fled.
4. Major Dhyan Chand has a statue with 4 hands and 4 sticks in Austria
Known as the Wizard of Hockey, the legend was honoured by Austrian citizens in Vienna. They made a statue of him with 4 hands and 4 sticks to depict his magnificent skill and control with the ball.
5. Rahul Dravid has a "Wall" dedicated to him
In front of the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru stands a wall made of 10,000 bricks, commemorating Dravid's landmark of crossing 10,000 runs. The wall inaugurated by Sachin Tendulkar also has an electronic meter displaying his total runs which halted at 13,288 after he retired.
6. Prakash Padukone purposely conceded a point against his idol out of respect
After his match against his idol Rudy Hartono at the 1980 Swedish Open, he said: "I could have beaten him 15-0 in that last game but I couldn't do that to my idol, I conceded a point and finished the game."
7. Vishwanathan Anand was the first sportsperson to win the Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award given in India. Anand received this honour in 2007, making him the first sportsperson in Indian history to accomplish this.
8. IM Vijayan scored one of the fastest goals in international football history
The 3-time Indian Player of the Year and the Arjuna Award winner scored a goal in 11 seconds against Bhutan in the 1999 SAF Games. It is one of the fastest goals in international football.
9. Milkha Singh was given the 'Flying Sikh' title by the Pakistani PM in an event he did not want to contest
In 1960, Milkha refused to go to the country where his parents were killed. But eventually he did participate and beat Pakistani sprinter Abdul Khaliq. After the race, General Ayub (Pakistan President) said to him: "Milkha, you did not run. You flew."
10. Kapil Dev never missed a match because of injuries
In 184 innings as a batsman in Tests, not once was he run out. Such was his fitness that in his 16-year career spanning 131 matches, he did not miss a single match due to injury or fitness issue.