The Indian Express 100, where they rate the most powerful Indians is back, with the list of 2018. As far as sportspersons are concerned, Indian skipper Virat Kohli has maintained his position in the top 100. In fact, this year, he took a leap of 12 places from his 32nd rank last year to 20th in the ranking this year. New inclusions to the list are India’s head coach in badminton Pullela Gopichand (91st position) and Nita Ambani (66th position) with her involvement in IPL, ISL, NBA, and IOC (International Olympic Committee).
Virat Kohli, captain of Indian cricket team (20th position)
In the cricketing fraternity, very few have ever thought that a batsman will ever come who will be capable enough to break the record of Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries. But Virat’s (56 centuries) to the record can be successful, especially after seeing his recent performance.
Also read: Virat Kohli To Play County Cricket
Even in terms of captaincy, he has proven himself and the standout match can be the comeback win in the Test series against South Africa, after having lost the first two. However, his next target will be the registering as many overseas wins as possible for India in Test cricket, particularly in England, where the team is scheduled to tour later this year. Kohli would also want to set right the only scar on his batting record — he averages a miserable 13.4 in England in Tests.
Pullela Gopichand, Indian national head coach in Badminton (91st position)
Gopichand is currently leading the group of biggest achievers in Indian sport which comprises of Saina Nehwal, P V Sindhu, K Srikanth, H S Prannoy and Sai Praneeth. He has guided Sindhu to the finals of the biggest tournaments in women’s singles —Olympics, World Championships and Tour Finals. He is expected to assume a bigger role in sports administration at both the national and international stage.
Nita Ambani, Owner of Mumbai Indians (66th position)
Mrs. Ambani is the chairperson of IMG-Reliance, one of the biggest sports management firms in India, and India’s only voice in the IOC. IMG-Reliance’s influence was evident when FIFA, after giving the cold shoulder to the ISL for several years, recognized it as an official football tournament. Now, as she is an IOC member, she is looking forward to increasing India’s chances in Olympics.
