Indian Sports and Sportspersons

Bhaskar Ganguly was the goalkeeper for Mohunbagan in the infamous 1975 IFA Shield final where they lost 0-5 to arch-rivals East Bengal. This match remains one of the most talked-about derbies in Indian football history.

Leander Paes was born in Kolkata on December 17, 1973. Mahesh Bhupathi was born in Chennai, and Sania Mirza in Mumbai, making Kolkata-born Paes the correct answer.

Leander Paes was born in Kolkata on December 17, 1973. He is one of India's most successful tennis players, particularly in doubles. Note: His name is misspelled as "Peas" in the option.

Shera was the official mascot of the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, India. He was a royal Bengal tiger, chosen to represent India's wildlife heritage. The name combines 'Sher' (tiger) with 'Delhi' to create a meaningful identity.

Among the options, Rahul Dravid is the only one who never received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (India's highest sporting honor). Karnam Malleswari (weightlifting, 1995), Pullela Gopichand (badminton, 1999), and MS Dhoni (cricket, 2007) were all recipients. Dravid did receive the Arjuna Award and Padma Shri, but not the Khel Ratna.

Suresh Kalmadi was the President of the Indian Olympic Association during this time period. He served as IOA President from 1996 to 2011. Note: This question is dated as Kalmadi's tenure ended, and the IOA has had different presidents since then.

Ramanathan Krishnan was the first Indian to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, achieving this feat in 1960. His son Ramesh Krishnan also had significant Wimbledon success but reached quarterfinals. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati achieved success in doubles, not singles.

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala donated the Ranji Trophy in 1934 to the Indian cricket board (then BCCI), named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji Jadeja of Jamnagar.

Home Trade financial services company uniquely secured endorsements from three icons across cricket and Bollywood - Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, and Hrithik Roshan. Hero Honda and Mayur Suitings did not have this specific trio of endorsers.

Virender Sehwag was endorsed as the brand ambassador for Band-Aid in India during the mid-2000s. This was part of Johnson & Johnson's marketing strategy to associate the brand with sports, fitness, and an active lifestyle. Sehwag's aggressive playing style and mass popularity across India made him an attractive choice for health and fitness-related product endorsements.

Jyothi Kumaran, the Secretary General of the Indian Hockey Federation, resigned in 2008 following bribery allegations and corruption charges. KPS Gill was the IHF President but was not directly implicated in the bribery case that forced Jyothi Kumaran's resignation. Suresh Kalmadi was involved in Commonwealth Games corruption, not hockey federation scandals.

Bobby Kooka, an advertising executive with Air India in the 1950s, designed and named the Maharaja mascot as a friendly representation of Indian hospitality. He worked alongside Umesh Rao to create the iconic character. Piyush Pandey and Prahlad Kakkar are prominent advertising figures from later generations.

Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad established the then-world record opening partnership of 452 runs at Chennai Corporation Stadium (now Chepauk/MA Chidambaram Stadium). This record stood for several decades and remains one of the most famous partnerships in cricket history.

P.T. Usha, legendary Indian track and field athlete, faced humiliation in 2014 when she was denied entry to the opening ceremony of the National Games in Kerala despite being one of India's greatest Olympians. The incident caused widespread outrage and criticism of the organizers' treatment of a sporting icon.