Though hockey is the national sport of India, but cricket is undoubtedly the most popular sport across the length and breadth of the country. In Uttar Pradesh too, the popularity or rather the craze of cricket is immense. The players of the state have participated in many national level cricket tournaments like the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy, with distinction. Under the captaincy of Mohammed Kaif, Uttar Pradesh won the Ranji Trophy in 2005-06, for the first time. The state team has reached the Ranji Trophy finals again in 2007-08, again under the leadership of Mohammed Kaif. Some of the famous cricketers from Uttar Pradesh are Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Rudra Pratap Singh, Gopal Sharma and Gyanendra Pandey.
However, the culture of sports of Uttar Pradesh is not limited to cricket. Other sports played in Uttar Pradesh are football, and hockey. The most famous hockey player from Uttar Pradesh is Dhyan Chand, who though was awarded the Padma Bhushan, died in penury. Abhinn Shyam Gupta and Syed Modi from Uttar Pradesh are former national badminton champions. Other sports played in Uttar Pradesh include shooting. Famous shooters from the state are Moraad Ali Khan and Jaspal Rana, while Ghaus Mohammad from Uttar Pradesh was the first Indian tennis player to reach the Wimbledon championships quarterfinals.
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