#9 Nihal Sarin
The country has been a repository of some of the finest chess players and child prodigy Nihal Sarin is no different. He became the 12th youngest grandmaster in the history of the sport at the tender age of 14 years. Having scored his third grandmaster norm at the 25th Abu Dhabi Masters, Nihal also became the world Under-10 champion in 2014. He tied for the first position in the world Under-12 Championship in Greece clinching the silver medal on the tiebreak. Nihal became the world’s third youngest to cross 2600 Elo Rating in June.
Nihal bagged a gold medal in the World Blitz Championship in the Under-10 category in 2013. His first breakthrough achievement came at the World Youth Chess Championship in the Under-10 category in September 2014. What perhaps lies ahead for Nihal in the labyrinths of time seems to be very positive. All we can do is just sit back and grace our eyes upon his magnificent gameplay and hope he brings all the records tumbling.
#8 Jemima Rodrigues
The young all-round sensation from Mumbai, Jemima Rodrigues has been earning a name since the day of her debut last year. Jemima was selected for Maharashtra Under-17 and Under-19 hockey teams. She marked her Under-19 debut during the 2012-13 cricket season. Jemima is the second woman after Smriti Mandhana to have scored a double century in a 50-over match. She was called on to represent India for a three-match ODI series against South Africa last year.
#7 Manju Rani
In her maiden appearance at the event, boxer Manju Rani entered the finals of Women’s World Boxing Championships this year to become the first-ever Indian in a span of 18 years to have done so. Sixth-seeded Rani is a silver medallist from the prestigious Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Bulgaria earlier this year. Mary Kom qualified for the Worlds on her debut in 2011. Rani is the latest Indian woman boxer to join Mary Kom in her feat.
