Sport in India includes cricket, football, field hockey, lawn tennis and golf. Though field hockey is the national sport of India, cricket is the most popular sport in the country.

Cricket

Cricket is the de facto national sport of India, and its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as caste, religion and nationality. Though cricket is indubitably the most popular sport in India, it is not the nation's official national sport

Kite Flying

It is played by only two people in India in cities as well as villages. The festival of 'Makar Sankranti' is marked with competitions of this sport in various competitions.

Basketball

Basketball is a very popular sport in India. It is played in almost every school, although very few people take it professionally. India has both men's and women's team in basketball. It also made one Olympic appearance in basketball and appeared 20 times in Asian championship. India is currently ranked 46th in the world in basketball.

Boxing

Boxing is one of the lesser profiled sports in India. India has yet to produce a world champion in any weight class, although it is a regular medal-holder at Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. In November 2007, India's Mary Kom won the best boxer title and also secured a hattrick of titles. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Vijender Kumar won a bronze medal in the middleweight boxing category and Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar qualified for the quarterfinals. Akhil Kumar, Jitender Kumar, A.L.Lakra and Dinesh Kumar each won a bronze medal at the 2008 world championship. Vijender Kumar is current world number 1 on middleweight class.

Cycling

The history of cycling in India dates back to 1938. The Cycling Federation of India takes care of the sport. Cycling is unknown as a professional sport in India, but popular as a common recreational sport and it is a good way to keep fit

Field hockey

Field hockey is India's national game. Until the mid 20th century, India dominated international hockey, winning eight Olympic gold medals, the World Cup in 1975 and were runners-up in the 1973 World Cup. The Indian player Dhyan Chand, arguably the most famous Indian hockey player, was described as a 'wizard' by the European press. However, India's recent performance have been below par and India is currently ranked 12th in the world.

Football

football is one of the major sports in India. It was introduced during the British occupation and in some areas of the country it is equally popular as cricket. India was an Asian powerhouse until the sixties, but gradually the standard of football has gone down compared to other countries and currently India ranks 146 in the FIFA Rankings as of the 22nd of June 2009. The All India Football Federation is the parent body of football in India.

Golf

Golf is an emerging sport in India. It is especially popular sport among the wealthier classes and has not yet caught on with middle class and poor people due to the fact that it is expensive. The most successful Indian golfer is Jeev Milkha Singh who has won titles all over the world, namely three during the European Tour, four during the Japan Golf Tour and six during the Asian Tour. Although his current world ranking is 36, his highest ranking has been 28 (in March 2009). Sing has won the Asian Tour order of merit twice. Other Indians who have won the Asian tour order of merit are Jyoti Randhawa in 2002 (the first Indian to achieve this) and Arjun Atwal. There are numerous golf courses all over India. There is an Indian Golf Tour. India's men's golf team won silver at the 2006 Asian Games.

Kabaddi

Kabaddi is a sport which originated in India. It is one of the most popular sports in India played mainly among people in villages. India has taken part in 4 Asian games Kabaddi and won gold in all four of them. India is the powerhouse of world Kabaddi. There are three forms of kabaddi played in India. The three forms of Kabaddi are Amar, Suranjeevi, and Gaminee. Amar is generally played in Punjab, USA, Canada, and other parts of the world. Suranjeevi is the most played form of Kabaddi in India and the world. This is the form used in international matches generally and played in Asian games. India won the Kabaddi world championship in 2007 beating Iran 29-19.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a sport played all over India, both in rural as well as urban India. It is a popular recreation sport. India is ranked 5th in Asia and 27th in the world. Doing well in the youth and junior levels, India came in second in the 2003 World youth championships. Currently, a major problem for the sport is the lack of sponsors.

Table Tennis

Table tennis is a popular indoor recreation sport in India, which has caught on in states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The Table Tennis Federation of India is the official sports body. India, which is currently ranked 90 in the world, has produced a single player ranked in the top 100, Sharat Kamal.