YOUTH ICONS: DIVYA DESHMUKH, A RISING STAR IN INDIAN CHESS

                    Photo: Frans Peeters / CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

DIVYA DESHMUKH: A RISING STAR IN INDIAN CHESS 

In the world of chess, India has steadily become a powerhouse, producing one brilliant mind after another. Among the new generation of players, Divya Deshmukh stands tall as a true youth icon—an inspiration for countless young minds who aspire to achieve greatness through focus, discipline, and relentless practice.

Who is Divya Deshmukh?

Born: 9 December 2005, Nagpur, Maharashtra

Titles: Woman Grandmaster (2021), International Master (2022)

Known for her aggressive style of play and ability to handle high-pressure situations with maturity beyond her years.

From a very young age, Divya showed exceptional talent and determination. With the support of her family and coaches, she quickly rose through the ranks of Indian chess, winning age-group titles and making her mark at the international level.

Major Achievements

2022 – Winner of the National Women’s Chess Championship (India)

2023 – Asian Women’s Champion; Champion of Tata Steel Women’s Rapid Chess, defeating top competitors including Ju Wenjun, Harika, and Humpy Koneru

2024 – World U-20 Girls (Junior) Champion; Individual gold medalist on Board 3 at the Chess Olympiad, contributing to India’s team gold

2025 – FIDE Women’s World Cup Champion, defeating Humpy in the final; earned the Grandmaster title; qualified for the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026

Recognition – Honored by the Maharashtra government with ₹3 crore in support and a robust infrastructure push to nurture future talent

Why Divya Is a True Youth Icon

1. Phenomenal Results Under Pressure

From tight finals to rapid tiebreaks, Divya has shown unmatched calm and resilience.

2. Balancing Academics & Chess

At just 19, she’s excelling as a student and a global chess force simultaneously. 

3. Trailblazer for Indian Women in Chess

She’s the first Indian woman to win the Women’s World Cup and the fourth Indian female GM—a breakthrough in a male-dominated field. 

4. Inspiring the Next Generation

With her achievements and media attention, she has become an aspirational figure for aspiring young chess players nationwide.

Divya’s Message to the Youth

Divya often emphasizes the importance of practice, patience, and persistence. She believes that success does not come overnight but through small, consistent steps taken every day.

Conclusion

Divya Deshmukh is not just a chess prodigy; she is a symbol of what India’s youth can achieve with courage, determination, and focus. As she continues to grow, the nation looks forward to her scaling even greater heights and perhaps one day bringing the Women’s World Chess Championship crown to India.

"Chess teaches you to think ahead, stay calm under pressure, and make the right move at the right time — lessons that apply not only to the game, but to life itself.” – Divya Deshmukh

Grateful thanks to ChatGPT for its great help and support in creating this blogpost and Wikimedia Commons for the charming photograph of Divya Deshmukh.

CRICKET ICONS

Mohammed Siraj (born 13 March 1994) is an Indian international cricketer who plays as a right-arm fast bowler for the Indian team. He also plays for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League and Hyderabad in domestic cricket. He was a part of the squad which won the 2023 Asia Cup and was the Player of the Match in the final. Siraj was also a member of the team that won the 2024 T20 World Cup.

In October 2017, he was named in India's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against New Zealand. He made his T20I debut for India against New Zealand on 4 November 2017, taking the wicket of Kane Williamson, finishing with figures of 1 wicket for 53 runs from four overs.

In February 2018, he was named in India's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2018 Nidahas Trophy.  In September 2018, he was named in India's Test squad for their series against the West Indies, but he did not play. In December 2018, he was named in India's One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against Australia. He made his ODI debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on 15 January 2019.

On 26 October 2020, Siraj was named in India's Test squad for their series against Australia. After some deliberation to choose between Navdeep Saini and Siraj following an injury to Mohammad Shami, Siraj was chosen ahead of Saini, and he made his Test debut for India on 26 December 2020, against Australia. His first Test wicket was of Marnus Labuschagne. In January 2021, during the fourth Test of the series against Australia, Siraj took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

In January 2023, Siraj played important role in the Ind vs NZ ODI series. He took 4 wickets in the first ODI which helped the team to win the match for 12 runs.

On 21 January 2023, Siraj became the No. 1 ODI Bowler in ICC ODI Rankings for Bowlers.

On 21 August 2023, Siraj was selected to play for India and his name was included in the 15 Man squad announced by BCCI ahead of 2023 Asia Cup.

On 17 September 2023, in the Asia Cup final, Siraj became the joint fastest bowler to take a 6 wicket haul in ODIs equaling Chaminda Vaas's record of taking 5 wicket in 16 balls against Bangladesh in 2003 World Cup. He ended with a career best figure of 6/21 and also became the 1st Indian to take 4 wickets in an over.

In May 2024, he was named in India’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.

In June 2025, he was named in India's squad for the inaugural Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy. During the series, he got his fourth and fifth 5-wicket hauls in tests, claiming 6 wickets in the first innings of the second match and 5 wickets in the second innings of the fifth match. He was awarded the Player of the Match award for his latter performance. He was also the highest wicket-taker of the series, taking 23 total wickets in 9 innings.

His recent 9 wicket haul in the 5th cricket test between India and England made him a great hero in the minds of cricket fans.

Excerpt from WIKIPEDIA, THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA 

Grateful thanks to WIKIPEDIA

CRICKET ICONS

Akash Deep, born 15 December 1996, is an Indian international cricketer. He plays as a right arm fast bowler and right handed lower order batter for the India national cricket team in International cricket, for the Bengal cricket team in domestic cricket, for the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League and for the Servotech Siliguri Strikers in Bengal Pro T20 League. He was born in Dehri, Bihar and grew up in Kolkata, West Bengal. He made his international debut against England in the fourth Test of the 2024 series.

Akash Deep replaced injured Shivam Mavi in India's squad for the 2022 Asian Games. In November 2023, he was included in India's ODI squad for the series against South Africa in South Africa as an injury replacement for Deepak Chahar, but he did not play in any of the matches.

In February 2024, he received his maiden Test callup for the last three Tests for the home Test series against England.  He received the news of his selection while he was playing the 2023–24 Ranji Trophy representing Bengal.

He was named in Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy squad for India, against England, in 2025. Although he was not picked in the first test, he played a crucial role in the second, in place of Jasprit Bumrah. He achieved his maiden 10-wicket haul with 4 in the first innings and 6 in the second, helping India registering their first win at Birmingham.

Extract from Wikipedia.

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CHESS ICONS

CRICKET ICONS

*Bhardwaj Sai Sudharsan* (born 15 October 2001) is an Indian International cricketer, who plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and for Gujarat Titans in the IPL and Surrey County Cricket Club in County Championship. He made his debut for Indian cricket team in One-day Internationals (ODIs) in a series against South Africa in December 2023.

Background

Sudharsan's father was an athlete who represented India at the South Asian Games in Dhaka, while his mother was a state level volleyball player.

Domestic career

In 2019/20 Raja of Palayampatti Shield, he was Alwarpet CC's leading run-scorer with 635 runs at an average of 52.92. He made his Twenty20 debut on 4 November 2021, for Tamil Nadu in the 2021–22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He made his List A debut on 8 December 2021, for Tamil Nadu in the 2021–22 Vijay Hazare Trophy.  In February 2022, he was bought by the Gujarat Titans in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament. Sudharsan's performance in the TNPL led to his selection in the IPL team. 

In April 2022, he made his IPL debut after Vijay Shankar was ruled out of the match with an injury.

In the 2023 season of the IPL Sudharsan scored 362 runs in the tournament averaging 51.71. He scored 96 in the IPL final against Chennai Super Kings, but his team Gujarat Titans would go on to lose that match. In August 2023, Sudharsan signed for Surrey for the final three matches of the 2023 County Championship.

In the 2024 season of the IPL, Sudharsan finished of the season as the top run scorer for his team Gujarat Titans with 527 runs in the tournament averaging 47.90. His most notable innings was a magnificent century vs Chennai Super Kings in Match 59, where he hit 103(59) with 5 4s and 7 6s. In July 2024 he made his T20i debut vs Zimbabwe.

In the 2025 season of the IPL, Sudharsan won the Orange Cap award of most runs scored in an IPL season after amassing 759 runs, including six half-centuries and one century at an average of 54.21. In doing so, he became *the youngest cricketer to win the award, as well as the youngest to cross 700 runs in a single IPL season.*

International Career

Sai Sudharsan has played 3 One Day International games against South Africa in the 2023 ODI Series. He scored 127 runs including 2 fifties with an average of 63.5. He was also part of the team in the 2nd T20i against Zimbabwe in 2024.

Grateful thanks to WIKIPEDIA, THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA.

CRICKET ICONS

Rohit Sharma (born 30 April 1987) is an Indian cricketer and the captain of national cricket team in Test and ODI formats. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batters of all time. He is also known as one of the greatest six hitters in cricket history. He is a right-handed batsman who plays for Mumbai Indians in Indian Premier League and for Mumbai in domestic cricket. Rohit previously captained India in all three formats. After leading the victory at the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, he announced his retirement from T20Is.

He holds several batting records which famously include most runs in T20 Internationals, most sixes in international cricket,[a] most double centuries in ODI cricket (3), most centuries at Cricket World Cups (7) and joint most hundreds in Twenty20 Internationals (5). He is the first player to score 5 T20I centuries,and holds record of hitting fastest T20I century in 35 balls.  He also holds the world record for the highest individual score (264) in a One Day International (ODI) match and is the only player to have scored three double-centuries in ODIs and also holds the record for scoring most hundreds (five) in a single Cricket World Cup, for which he won the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year award in 2019. He is the only player to win 50 matches as captain in T20Is. He is the first and only captain to lead a team in all[b] ICC tournament finals.

He plays for Mumbai Indians and Mumbai cricket team in Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic cricket respectively. He formerly captained Mumbai Indians and the team has won 5 Indian Premier League titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020 under him, making him the most successful captain in IPL history, sharing this record with MS Dhoni. With India, Rohit Sharma was a member of the team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, where he played in the finals of both tournaments. He is also one of two players who have played in every edition of the T20 World Cup, from the inaugural edition in 2007 to the latest one in 2024.[c] He is the only Indian player to win two T20 World Cups. He became the second Indian captain to win a T20 World Cup, when he led India to win the 2024 T20 World Cup.

He has received two national honours, the Arjuna Award in 2015 and the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2020 by the Government of India. Under his captaincy, India won the 2018 Asia Cup and the 2023 Asia Cup, the seventh and eighth time the country won the title, both in ODI format as well as the 2018 Nidahas Trophy, their second overall and first in T20I format.

Sharma scored the highest-ever individual score in a One Day International match, with a 264 against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 13 November 2014. He is the only player to have scored three double-centuries in ODIs. In January 2020, Sharma was named as the ODI Player of the Year by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In 2019, Sharma became the only batsman to scored five centuries in a single edition of the Cricket World Cup.

On 5 October 2019, during a Test match against South Africa, Sharma became the first batsman to score two centuries in a match on his first appearance as an opening batsman. In the same series, he broke Shimron Hetmyer's record for the highest number of sixes in a Test series.

On 11 October 2023, Sharma achieved a historic feat during the 2023 Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan team, when he surpassed the record previously held by Chris Gayle for the most international sixes (553).

On 14 October 2023, Sharma achieved a milestone in the world of cricket by becoming the first Indian to complete 300 sixes in the 50-overs format. This feat occurred during an India-Pakistan match at Narendra Modi Stadium, in front of more than 100,000 fans.

During a 22 October 2023 match against New Zealand, Sharma became the first Indian batter to hit 50 One Day International (ODI) sixes in a calendar year.

On 2 August 2024, Sharma surpassed Eoin Morgan to have hit most sixes in international cricket as captain.

Sharma's 19 Player of the Match awards is the highest by an indian in IPL history.

National honours

Sharma receiving Arjuna award

2015 – Arjuna Award

2020 – Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna

Sporting honours

ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year: 2019

ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year: 2014 (12th man), 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023(captain)

ICC Men's ODI Team of the Decade: 2011–2020

ICC Men's T20I Team of the Decade: 2011–2020

ICC Men's Test Team of the Year: 2021

For his achievements on India's tour of England in 2021, Sharma was selected by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in its 2022 edition.

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

CRICKET ICONS

Steven Peter Devereux Smith (born 2 June 1989) is an Australian international cricketer, former captain of the Australian national team in all three formats of the game and the vice-captain of the Australia Test team. He is regarded by many as the best Test batsmen of his generation and one of the greatest Test batsmen of all time, having scored over 10,000 Test runs. Smith was a member of the Australian teams that won the 2015 and 2023 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, and the vice-captain in 2023 ICC World Test Championship.

Although he was initially selected for Australia as a leg-spinning all-rounder in 2010, Smith was always earmarked as a batting prospect following successful batting campaigns in domestic cricket early in his career. Smith now plays primarily as a batsman who bowls occasionally. After playing five Test matches from 2010 to 2011 as a bowling all-rounder, he was recalled to the Australian Test team in 2013 as a batsman and took over the captaincy from Michael Clarke in late 2015, after which he predominantly batted at number 3 or 4 across all formats.

Awards he has won include the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2015; ICC Test Player of the Year in 2015 and 2017; ICC Men's Test Player of the Decade for 2011–2020; the Allan Border Medal for the best player in Australian Cricket in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2023; Australian Test Player of the Year in 2015 and 2018, and Australian One Day International Player of the Year in 2015 and 2021. He was named by Wisden as one of their Cricketers of the Year in the 2016 Wisden Almanack. In December 2017, he reached a Test batting rating of 947, the second-highest of all time, only behind Don Bradman's 961.

In March 2018, Smith as Australian captain was widely criticised for the ball tampering in the third Test against South Africa that Cameron Bancroft performed and David Warner planned, during which he stood down from the team captaincy and was replaced by Tim Paine. Following an investigation by Cricket Australia, Smith was banned from all international and domestic cricket in Australia for one year, and from consideration for any leadership role for an additional year.

In November 2021, Smith returned to an official Australian leadership role, as Test vice-captain starting in the 2021–22 Ashes series. In December 2021, Smith returned to Test captaincy duties when Pat Cummins was unavailable due to COVID-19 for the 2nd Test. He has since captained in 6 Tests for 5 wins and a draw, including Australia's only Test victory in India since 2017 when he was captain. In March 2023, Smith returned to ODI captaincy duties, he went on to captain another 13 ODIs, winning the 2022–23 ODI series vs India, the 2023–24 ODI series vs West Indies and the 2024 ODI series v England and captaining Australia in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. He retired from ODI cricket on the 5th March 2025, leading Australia in his last ODI as captain. Since 2021, he has been Australia's vice-captain in Tests.

[08/03, 10:32] SIVASUBRAMANIAN SIVASURIY: Steve Smith made his international cricket debut in a Twenty20 International match playing as a leg spinner against Pakistan at Melbourne in February 2010. The same month, he made his One Day International debut against the West Indies also at Melbourne, playing in the fifth match of the series.

In the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 competition held in the West Indies, Australia finished runners up to England. Smith took 11 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.81 to finish as the equal-second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament.

Smith made his Test debut at Lord's in July 2010, playing both Tests against Pakistan in the 2010 Test series played in England. He was selected mainly for his bowling, and batted down the order, although his bowling was not required in the first innings. In the second innings, he took 3 wickets for 51 as Australia won by 150 runs. In the second Test he was called to bowl only ten overs and took no wickets, although he played an impressive role with the bat in the second innings. Batting with the tail, he scored 77 including nine fours and two sixes off successive balls, helping Australia to set a competitive target after having been bowled out for 88 in the first innings.

Smith's fielding attracted attention during the 2009–10 season with some spectacular catches in the outfield.

In the 2010–11 Australian summer, Smith played three Tests in the 2010–11 Ashes series, this time playing more as a batsman, taking the number six spot in the order. His performances were solid during the series, getting a number of starts and scoring two half centuries. Following the 2010–11 Ashes, Smith did not play another Test for two years, his next Test series coming against India in March 2013.

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

CRICKET ICONS

Glenn Dominic Phillips (born 6 December 1996) is a South African-born cricketer who plays for the New Zealand national cricket team. Domestically he plays for Otago, having previously played for Auckland. He made his international debut for New Zealand in February 2017.

An all-rounder who can also keep wickets, Phillips is regarded as a physically fit cricketer who is an excellent fielder. Described as a "compact, muscular hitter, known for playing outrageous shots", he has played for a number of Twenty20 sides around the world.

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

CRICKET ICONS

Kane Stuart Williamson (born 8 August 1990) is a New Zealand international cricketer and a former captain of the New Zealand national team. On 27 February 2023, Williamson became the all-time leading run-scorer for New Zealand in Test cricket. A right-handed batsman and an occasional off spin bowler, he is widely regarded as one of the world's best contemporary batsman and the greatest New Zealand captain and batsman of all time. He captained New Zealand to victory in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship final and to the finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup. He was also a part of the New Zealand squad to finish as runners-up at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Williamson made his first-class cricket debut in December 2007.  He made his U-19 debut against the touring Indian U-19 team the same year and was named captain of the New Zealand U-19 team for the 2008 U-19 Cricket World Cup. He made his international debut in 2010. Williamson has represented New Zealand at the 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 editions of the Cricket World Cup and 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024 editions of the ICC World Twenty20. He made his full-time captaincy debut for New Zealand in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India. He captained New Zealand at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, leading the team to the final and winning the Player of the Tournament award in the process. On 31 December 2020, he reached a Test batting rating of 890, surpassing Steve Smith and Joe Root as the number one ranked Test batsmen in the world. He was nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade, and the award for Test cricketer of the decade. Ian Chappell and Martin Crowe have ranked Williamson among the top four or five Test cricket batsmen, along with Joe Root, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli of the current era.

Williamson was the only New Zealander to be named in the ICC Test Team of the Decade (2011–2024). The late former New Zealand cricketer, Martin Crowe, noted that, "we're seeing the dawn of probably our greatest ever batsman" in Williamson. In June 2021, he captained New Zealand to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, the first ICC trophy the team won since winning the 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy. In November 2021, he led New Zealand to the final of the ICC T20 World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era.

CRICKET ICONS

Varun Chakravarthy Vinod (born 29 August 1991) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a leg spin bowler. He made his T20I international debut in July 2021 and became the second oldest player after Farookh Engineer to debut in ODI in February 2025 for the Indian cricket team.

Early life

Varun Chakravarthy Vinod was born on 29 August 1991 in Bidar, Karnataka. His father Vinod Chakravarthy, an ITS officer for BSNL, is half-Tamil and half-Malayali, while his mother Malini is a Kannadiga. He was brought up in Adyar, Chennai.

He did his schooling in Chennai, at Kendriya Vidyalaya CLRI and then St. Patrick's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, where he played cricket as a wicket-keeper but quit the sport to focus on academics. He obtained a bachelor's degree in architecture from SRM University. At age 25, he gave up his job as an architect to pursue cricket professionally. Starting out as a pace bowler, a knee injury in early 2017 kept him out of action for six months, after which he turned to spin bowling.

Career

He made his List A debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 20 September 2018. He was the leading wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with twenty-two dismissals in nine matches.  He made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu in the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy on 12 November 2018.

In December 2018, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the price of 8.4 crores. He made his Twenty20 debut for the team on 27 March 2019. His first over went for 25 runs, the highest number of runs conceded by a bowler on debut in the IPL. He was released by the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the 2020 IPL auction. In the 2020 IPL auction, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2020 Indian Premier League. On 24 October 2020, he took his first five-wicket haul in the IPL, with figures of 5 wickets for 20 runs, against the Delhi Capitals in Abu Dhabi. He was Kolkata Knight Riders' highest wicket-taker in the 2021 IPL tournament.

In October 2020, he was named in India's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against Australia. However, on 9 November 2020, Chakravarthy was ruled out of the squad after suffering an injury. ] In February 2021, he was named in India's T20I squad for their series against England.

In June 2021, he was named in India's One Day International (ODI) and T20I squads for their series against Sri Lanka. He made his T20I debut on 25 July 2021, for India against Sri Lanka, taking the wicket of Dasun Shanaka. In September 2021, Chakravarthy was named in India's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.