5 sporting moments that bring me joy

1) India winning the 2011 World Cup: It will forever remain a special moment for every Indian sports fan. And becauseI covered the tournament, it was truly extra special for me.

I remember meeting several of the players in Yuvraj's room past midnight and dining on the celebratory biriyani.

Virat handed me the World Cup to hold and Viru forewarned me that it was very heavy! Was indeed heavenly.

2. Sachin's retirement: While it was a moment of deep disappointment in seeing him walk away, the worldwide celebrations were a matter of great pride.

No cricketer had ever been celebrated anywhere, anytime the way he has been, and as Sachin's biographer, it was a very personal sense of pride and satisfaction.

3. Abhinav Bindra's gold medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics: Having taught Olympic history for close to a decade, one question that I'd inevitably have to encounter, for the longest, was why hadn't India ever won an Olympic individual gold medal?

Finally, the bespectacled shooter from Punjab managed to capture the holy grail, redeeming the country with his final shot of 10.8.

4. PV Sindhu winning Olympics silver in Rio 2016: It was fast turning out to be a disastrous Olympics for India. Several of our athletes had come close but had failed to make the podium.

PV Sindhu, having beaten four of the top 10 players, helped resurrect the Indian campaign and gave us our moment of pride in Rio. Enjoyed taking her and Gopi out for dinner that night and celebrate over ice cream and junk food.

5) India beating Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup: Thanks to a Virat Kohli special. It will remain always a close-to-heart match and I remember how Adelaide had turned into a sea of blue.

Virat, India's talisman, led from the front and thanks to his very special century, India made a perfect start to the campaign.

Virat, however, was unfazed. To echo his own words, "he is like a monk in the civil society".