Jeev Milkha Singh, who admitted that 2006 “will always remain a dream year” for him as he won four titles in the year, starting with Volvo China Open in April

Like every year, 2006 saw Indian sport rise to the pinnacle of hope and crash to the depths of despair. If Jeev Milkha Singh gave us moments of pride, the Indian hockey team shamed us at the Doha Asian Games failing to clinch a medal. There was also the superb feats of Jaspal Rana and the humiliation of two weightlifters testing positive at the Commonwealth Games. For more, read on:

JANUARY

HIGHS

Jan. 01 — Parimarjan Negi becomes India ’s youngest IM with a victory over GM Sergei Erenburg of Israel in the fourth round of the masters section of Hastings International Chess Congress.

Jan. 04 — Captain Mithali Raj leads from the front with an unbeaten century as India thrash Sri Lanka by 97 runs to retain the women’s Asia Cup in Karachi.

Jan. 06 — Negi creates history, becoming the youngest Indian to get a GM norm after drawing with GM Yuriy Kuzubov of Ukraine in the ninth and penultimate round of the Hastings International Chess congress.

Jan. 17 — Virender Sehwag smashes 254 against Pakistan and stitches a 410-run partnership with Rahul Dravid (128 ..) on Day V of the first Test in Lahore.

Jan. 29 — Irfan Pathan becomes only the second Indian to record a Test hattrick after Harbhajan Singh, sending back Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammed Yousuf on Day I of the third Test in Karachi.

Jan. 29 — Mahesh Bhupathi captures his 10th Grand Slam title and third mixed doubles crown on the trot after winning the Australian Open title with Switzerland’s Martina Hingis in Melbourne.

FEBRUARY

HIGHS

Feb. 11 — India canter to a seven-wicket victory, their first on Pakistan tour, to level the ODI series 1-1.

Feb. 13 — India clinch the third ODI in Pakistan by five wickets and go up 2-1 in the five match series.

Feb. 16 — India win fourth ODI by five wickets to clinch the five-match series against hosts Pakistan 3-1.

Feb. 19 — India win the fifth ODI against hosts Pakistan by 8 wickets to end the series 4-1.

Feb. 19 — Partnering Liezel Huber of South Africa , Sania Mirza emerges doubles champion at the WTA Bangalore Open.

LOWS

Feb. 01 — India slump to their second biggest defeat in terms of runs in Karachi after being dismissed for 265, chasing a victory margin of 607, allowing Pakistan to clinch the three-Test series 1-0. Yuvraj Singh scores 122.

Feb. 12 — India lose their Davis Cup Asia Oceania group I tie against South Korea in Changwon 1-4.

Feb. 22 — Defending champions Japan teach India a footballing lesson by drubbing the visitors 6-0 in an Asian Cup qualifying tie in Yokohama .

MARCH

HIGHS

March 09 — Indian captain Rahul Dravid and Pakistani counterpart Inzamam-ul Haq selected as spokesmen for ‘sport for development and peace’ at the United Nations.

March 11 — Anil Kumble becomes the fifth bowler to get 500 Test wickets during Day III of the second Test against England in Mohali.

March 13 — India beat England by nine wickets in the second Test in Mohali to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

March 16 — Weightlifter Kunjurani Devi clinches India’s and 18th Commonwealth Games’ first gold.

March 17 — Indian shooters win three gold medals and one silver in five events on Day II of the Commonwealth Games.

March 18 — Pistol shooter Samresh Jung wins two titles with different partners to become the first double gold-medallist at the Commonwealth Games. India win a third gold through weightlifter Yumnam Chanu.

March 19 — India grab a gold medal in shooting and three silvers on Day IV of the C’wealth Games.

March 20 — Indian shooters clinch three more gold medals and the men’s table tennis team creates history by becoming champion at the Commonwealth Games.

March 21 — Jung picks up his fourth at the Commonwealth Games.

March 22 — Sania Mirza bags the WTA Newcomer of the Year (2005) award at the second annual joint ATP and WTA awards ceremony in Miami .

March 22 — Jung scoops up his fifth gold, while weightlifter Geeta Rani adds another gold to India’s tally.

March 24 — Gagan Narang picks up his fourth gold with a Games final record of 1261.4 points in the 50m rifle 3 position, making it 16th gold in shooting at the Commonwealth Games.

March 25 — Akhil Kumar gifts India a rare boxing gold at the 18th Commonwealth Games.

March 26 — Jung adjudged the “Best Athlete of the 18th Commonwealth Games,” while Achanta Sharath Kamal clinches gold in men’s singles table tennis.

March 28 — India beat England by 39 runs to go one-up in the seven match ODI series.

March 31 — India defeat England by four wickets in Faridabad to lead the seven-match ODI series 2-0. This marks India ’s 14th straight ODI win while chasing a target.

LOWS

March 01 — Yemen humiliate India 3-0 in an Asian Cup Group A qualifying match in New Delhi .

March 22 — India crash to their seventh lowest total (100 all out) to allow England win the third and final Test and square the series 1-1 in Mumbai.

March 23 — Two Indian weightlifters, Edwin Raju (56kg) and Tejinder Singh (85kg), test positive for performance-enhancing drugs at the Commonwealth Games.

APRIL

HIGHS

April 01 — India ride a brace by Vimal Pariyar to beat Afghanistan 2-0 in their first match of the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup in Chittagong .

April 02 — GM Viswanathan Anand joins the 2800 Elo club according to Fide ratings list.

April 03 — India script a 49-run win against England in the third ODI in Margao to go up 3-0 in the 7-match series.

April 06 — India take an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven-match ODI series against England, winning the fourth match by four wickets. This was India ’s 15th victory on the trot while chasing, breaking the West Indies’ world record of 14.

April 09 — Leander Paes braves a severe bout of cramps in sweltering conditions to pull off a five-set victory over Pakistan’s Aqeel Khan in the deciding reverse singles to pilot India to a thrilling 3-2 victory in the Davis Cup’s Asia-Oceania Zone group I play-off tie.

April 15 — India win the final ODI against England by 7 wickets in Indore to wrap up the 7-match series 5-1.

April 16 — Jeev Milkha Singh ends his seven-year drought with a magnificent win at the Volvo China Open golf championship, his first European Tour title.

April 17 — Neelotpal Das becomes India ’s 14th GM by collecting his third and final norm in the 29th International Open at San Sebastien in Spain.

LOWS

April 10 — India blanked 0-14 in the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship by North Korea in their second match in Kuala Lumpur.

April 12 — England beat India by five wickets in the sixth ODI in Jamshedpur. The seven-match series now stands 4-1 in favour of India.

April 12 — India go down 0-6 to Japan in the AFC Under-19 Women’s Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

MAY

HIGHS

May 18 — India beat the West Indies by five wickets with one ball to spare in Kingston to go 1-0 up in the 5-match ODI series. This marks India ’s 17th on-the-trot win while chasing.

May 21 — The Indian junior boxing team lifts the Moster Cup after winning a rich haul of five gold, two silver and three bronze medals in Sarajevo , Bosnia.

May 28 — Sixteen-year-old Saina Nehwal becomes the first Indian woman to win a four-star badminton event by clinching the singles title at the prestigious Philippines Open in Pasig City, near Manila.

LOWS

May 20 — West Indies beat India by one run in the second ODI in Kingston to level the five-match series 1-1.

May 23 — West Indies script a four-wicket win over India in the third ODI at Basseterre, St Kitts to go 2-1 up in the five-match series.

May 26 — West Indies win the fourth ODI against India in Port of Spain by 6 wickets to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

May 28 — West Indies win the fifth ODI against in Port of Spain by 19 runs to wrap up the series 4-1.

May 30 — Mohun Bagan defender Rajib Ahmed arrested for allegedly harassing a schoolgirl and remanded in custody for four days.

JUNE

HIGHS

June 12 — Defending champion Viswanathan Anand thrashes world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria to lift the 19th Magistral Ciudad De Leon crown in Spain.

June 18 — Ritwik Bhattacharya retains the Chennai Open World Professional Squash Championship title, trouncing his Dutch opponent Dylan Bennet in the final.

June 24 — Top seeds Leander Paes and Martin Damm beat Arnaud Clement of France and South Africa’s Chris Haggard to clinch the Ordina Open doubles crown at ’S-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands.

LOWS

June 04 — India have a disappointing finish at the 37th Chess Olympiad with the women’s team bagging the 12th spot and the men managing to get the 30th place with 29.5 points.

JULY

HIGHS

July 01 — Parimarjan Negi wins the third and final GM norm at the Chelyabinsk Region Super Final GM tournament in Russia to become the second-youngest ever in the world to claim the honour. Negi achieves the feat at 13 years, four months and 20 days.

July 02 — India beat the West Indies by 49 runs in Kingston , Jamaica , to win the four-Test series 1-0. India last won a Test series in the Caribbean in 1971.

July 16 — The Indian under-18 women’s hockey team lifts the four-nation tournament played in Gifu, Japan.

July 21 — A hattrick by Yo Mahesh helps India under-19 secure a series-clinching nine-wicket win against England under-19 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.

July 24 — Abhinav Bindra overcomes back pain to become the first Indian shooter to win a World Championships gold in Zagreb. Karni Singh’s silver in 1962 was the previous best by an Indian in a World Championship meet.

July 25 — Navnath Farthate wins gold in junior men’s air rifle event in Zagreb World Championships.

July 31 — Indian eves thrash Ireland by 79 runs to win the second and final one-day International in London on Monday to sweep the series 2-0.

LOWS

July 18 — Former India captain V.P. Sathyan, 41, dies under mysterious circumstances near Chennai.

July 21 — The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announces a one-year ban on Indian weightlifters to be effective till March 2007.

AUGUST

HIGHS

Aug. 01 — India ’s squash prodigy Joshna Chinappa storms into the top 50 of the world rankings with a huge jump of 10 places.

Aug. 21 — World No. 2 Viswanathan Anand scores two thumping victories in the Mainz Chess Classic. The Indian win his sixth title in a row here.

LOWS

Aug. 16 — Riding a hattrick by Al Kahtani Yasser, Saudi Arabia beat India 3-0 in the AFC Asian Cup group A qualifier in Calcutta.

Aug. 17 — Former India football captain I.M. Vijayan, wanted by police in connection with an assault case, granted anticipatory bail by the district sessions court.

SEPTEMBER

HIGHS

Sept. 01 — Indian eves’ cricket team creates history, beating England by five wickets to win its first-ever Test series against England in Taunton. Jhulan Goswami contributes with a 10-wicket match haul.

Sept. 09 — Sixth seed Leander Paes and Martin Damm beat second seeds Jonas Bjorkman and Max Mirnyi 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3 to win the men’s doubles title at the US Open.

Sept. 17 — Mahesh Bhupathi and Mario Ancic rout Michael Berrer of Germany and Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark 6-4, 6-3 to win the doubles title at the $475,000 China Open in Beijing.

Sept. 20 — India beat the West Indies by 16 runs in a tri-series match in Kuala Lumpur.

Sept. 25 — Sania Mirza, partnering Liezel Huber of South Africa, clinches the WTA Sunfeast Open doubles crown in Calcutta , beating Ukranian cousins Yuliana Fedak and Yulia Beygelzimer.

LOWS

Sept. 06 — India lose 1-7 to Saudi Arabia in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in Jeddah.

Sept. 14 — India lose to the West Indies by 29 runs (D/L method) in the second match of the tri-series in Kuala Lumpur. Sachin Tendulkar’s unbeaten 141 goes in vain.

Sept. 17 — Albeit on a winning note, yet India end their hockey World Cup campaign on 11th spot among a 12-team field in Germany.

Sept. 18 — Former Indian football captain Sudip Chatterjee dies following a cardiac failure after a guava choked his respiratory tract.

Sept. 21 — India named as one of the four countries whose athletes returned positive dope tests in the SAF Games.

Sept. 22 — India bow out of the tri-series in Kuala Lumpur, losing to Australia by 18 runs.

OCTOBER

HIGHS

Oct. 02 — Mario Ancic of Croatia and Mahesh Bhupathi win their second consecutive doubles title by beating Rohan Bopanna and Mustafa Ghouse in the final of the ATP Mumbai Open.

Oct. 12 — The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) waives off the suspension on Indian federation, serving a one-year ban for doping misconduct, in lieu of a fine — allowing its athletes to get back into action at the Doha Asian Games.

Oct. 15 — India beat England by 4 wickets to launch their Champions Trophy campaign in Jaipur.

Oct. 28 — Grandmaster Koneru Humpy scores a memorable win against former world champion Anatoly Karpov of Russia in the third round of the Cap D’agde Intrenational Rapid Chess meet in France.

Oct. 29 — Jeev Milkha Singh adds a golden chapter to Indian golf, lifting the Volvo Masters of Europe at the Club de Golf Valderrama in Spain . He becomes the first Asian to win in Europe.

LOWS

Oct. 11 — Japan beat India 3-0 in the football Asian Cup qualifiers at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore.

Oct. 26 — West Indies put it across India by three wickets in a Champions Trophy league match in Ahmedabad.

Oct. 29 — India bow out of the ICC Champions Trophy, losing to Australia by 6 wickets in Mohali.

NOVEMBER

HIGHS

Nov. 17 — Saina Nehwal outclasses her Korean rival Jang Soo Young in straight games to retain the women’s singles crown in the Indian International Badminton tournament in Mumbai.

Nov. 19 — Jeev Milkha Singh assures the prestigious UBS Asian Tour Order of Merit title after finishing tied third in the Hong Kong Open to open up an unbeatable lead of $206,000 over nearest rival Prom Meesawat of Thailand.

Nov. 23 — M.C. Merykom completes a hattrick of world titles, helping India lift the team trophy with four gold medals at the fourth World Women’s Boxing Championships.

Nov. 26 — Jeev Milkha braves rain and tough conditions in Kochi to win the Casio World Open golf tournament and end his six-year title drought in Japan . This is Jeev’s third title of the year after wins at Volvo China Open in April and Volvo Masters of Europe in September.

LOWS

Nov. 02 — India bow out of the AFC Youth Championship with a 0-3 defeat to South Korea in Calcutta .

Nov. 15 — India fail to bag a single point in their AFC Asian Cup qualifying campaign, going down to Yemen 1-2 in their final Group A match in Yemen on Wednesday.

Nov. 22 — South Africa roll over India for a paltry 91 after scoring 248, to win the second ODI in Durban and go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Nov. 26 — South Africa beat India by 106 runs in the third ODI in Cape Town.

Nov. 29 — South Africa score 243 and then dismiss India for 163, winning the fourth ODI and the series by 80 runs in Port Elizabeth.

DECEMBER

HIGHS

Dec. 03 — Jeev Milkha Singh caps a spectacular season, winning his fourth title of the year and second in as many weeks by clinching the season-ending Nippon Series JT Cup in Tokyo. The win will also carry him into the top-50 of the world golf rankings.

Dec. 04 — WGM Koneru Humpy brings India ’s first gold medal at the Asian Games in Doha, topping the rapid chess event by beating Dana Aketayeva.

Dec. 04 — Jeev Milkha breaks into the illustrious list of world’s top-50 golfers to become the first-ever Indian to be eligible to play in the Masters.

Dec. 05 — Pankaj Advani wins the gold medal in Asian Games billiards final in Doha.

Dec. 06 — India win kabaddi gold at the Doha Asian Games.

Dec. 07 — A highly-indisposed Jaspal Rana wins the men’s 25m pistol event gold at the Asian Games, Doha.

Dec. 08 — Rana becomes India ’s triple gold hero at the Doha Asian Games as his world record-equalling effort in the 25m centre-fire pistol brings him the third gold medal in two days at the Lusail Shooting Range.

Dec. 12 — Satti Geetha, Pinki Pramanik, Chitra K. Soman and Manjit Kaur win gold in women’s 4x400 relay at the Doha Asian Games.

Dec. 13 — Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi stage a dramatic recovery, saving seven match points to bag the gold medal in the men’s doubles at the Doha Asian Games. Paes also annexes the mixed doubles gold, partnering Sania Mirza.

Dec. 14 — India get their 10th gold in the Doha Asian Games when Krishnan Sasikiran, Pentalaya and Koneru Humpy emerge easy winners in the team chess event.

Dec. 17 — Jeev Milkha Singh wins three awards at the Asian Tour’s UBS awards gala in Bangkok. He is voted the Players’ Player of the Year and bags the inaugural UBS Special Achievement Award. These two accolades are in addition to the prestigious Order of Merit title.

Dec. 18 — India beat South Africa by 123 runs in Johannesburg to go 1-0 up in the three-Test series. This was India ’s first Test win ever in South Africa.

Dec. 21 — India trounce Sri Lanka by eight wickets to lift the women’s Asia Cup for the third consecutive year, at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur.

LOWS

Dec. 03 — South Africa outplay India, inflicting a huge nine-wicket defeat in Centurion for a 4-0 whitewash in the five-match ODI series.

Dec. 04 — India crash out of the men’s team event in tennis, losing 1-2 to Chinese Taipei at the Doha Asian Games.

Dec. 05 — Paes hits out at doubles partner Bhupathi for “not playing with honesty” in the Asian Games team event tie against Chinese Taipei.

Dec. 10 — Indian hockey team fails to reach the semi-finals for the first time in Asian Games history.

Dec. 17 — S. Shanti, who won the 800m silver medal in the Asian Doha Games, fails the gender test.

Dec. 30 — South Africa beat India by 174 runs to level the 3-Test series 1-1 in Durban.