STARS of 2018

Cricket: These days, in every cricket statistic we analyse, one name shines untarnished – Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper went on to shatter more records as we witnessed a cricketing legend in the making. In ODIs, he scored 1,202 runs at an average of 133.55 – a staggering Bradmanesque feat. He reigned the test arena too as the leading run-scorer of the year. Another name that has buzzed through discussions is Prithvi Shaw. With his posture and shots resembling a young Tendulkar, he led India to a U-19 World Cup win and then took the international stage by a storm.

Boxing: Six-time world champion, MC Mary Kom had definitely waited long – until this year, when she added another important accolade to her already decorated career. She clinched an unprecedented sixth gold medal at the World Women's Boxing Championship. She has now become the joint-most successful pugilist of all time – alongside Cuban legend, Félix Savón. Following her footsteps is 21-year-old Sonia Chahal, who bowed down only in the final bout of the 57 kg featherweight category, earning a silver in her maiden championship – a feat earlier achieved by Mary Kom.

Football: 2018 celebrated the 21st edition of the game's greatest extravaganza – the FIFA World Cup. France won the World Cup by defeating Croatia 4-2 in the finals. France was crowned World Champion for the second time. Everyone was aware of France's dominance with the likes of Mbappé, Mandžukić, Pogba and Griezmann, but none expected Croatia to make it to the finals. The architect-in-chief for Croatia's best-ever run was Luka Modrić. He eventually claimed the most prestigious honour of football, Ballon d'Or – ending a decade-long dominance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. Later, Ada Hegerberg became the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Ballon d'Or.

Athletics: Hima Das has given the country some serious Olympic-medal hopes with her performances this year. Nicknamed the 'Dhing Express', Hima Das was the most-prominent name in athletics. The 18-year-old became the first Indian to win gold in a track event when she finished first at the IAAF World U-20 Championships. To win the 400 m silver at the Asiad, she bettered the national record to 50.79 seconds. She was conferred with the Arjuna Award on September 25. Another young woman, Swapna Barman, made the world bow down by winning the first gold for India in Heptathlon, despite having six toes on each feet.

Table Tennis: While Indian table tennis took giant strides through the year, a star was born in Manika Batra. She led the Indian women's team to an incredible victory at the Commonwealth Games against defending champions Singapore. She along with Mouma Das earned India a silver in the doubles category. Adding icing to the cake was her individual gold medal – the first Indian woman to achieve the feat. "At the start of the year, if anyone would have said we will win one, I would have laughed it off. Best ever year for me and best ever for Indian table tennis," said Sarath Kamal, the eight-time national champion.

Hockey: Despite home advantages, many were left in dismay to not see India in the final four. Little did hockey experts know of Belgium's emergence as a powerhouse. Australia and Netherlands were the definite favourites going into the semi-finals, but resurgent Belgium's aggressive brand of play in two penultimate games left everyone in awe, handing them their first World Cup. With Belgium's victory, Netherlands missed their fourth World Cup and settled for silver. Earlier, Australia trashed England 8-1 to clinch bronze.

Swimming: Japan's Rikako Ikee has been swimming since the age of 10, but 2018 has been her purple patch. She started the year with a silver at the Pan Pacific Championships. She created history by clinching eight medals (six golds, two silvers) at the Asiad – thereby becoming the first woman to claim the 'MVP' award of the Games.

Tennis: In the realm of the sport, 2018 saw the rise of many new emotions. Naomi Osaka held her nerves to win her maiden US Open as Serena Williams was engaged in a verbal spat with the chair umpire. But the year belonged to Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic. He started the Wimbledon positioned 21st in the rankings, but with a spree of phenomenal performances, he rose to the numero uno position in just four exhilarating months. In an injury-plagued career, the Serbian has displayed immense grit to become the first man in ATP's history to have bagged all the nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

Badminton: PV Sindhu was probably the best badminton player of the year. She started the year with a top-four finish at the prestigious All England Open Badminton Championships. In the Commonwealth Games, she won the gold in the mixed event and settled for a silver in the singles finals. Yet again, she settled for a silver in the World Championships. In the Asian Games too, she earned India its first silver in badminton. But on December 16, she created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the BWF World Tour Finals – breaking the gold jinx.

F1: With a fourth-place finish at the Mexican GP for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton clinched the world championship for the fifth time – only the third driver to do so besides Juan Manuel Fangio (5) and Michael Schumacher (7). Rival Sebastian Vettel was in all praise for the British star. "Number five is something incredible. I asked him to keep pushing for next year and be at his best to fight him again," said Vettel.