Unleashing The Sporting Giant: Why India Needs A Holistic Approach To Nurturing Sports Talent

Last Updated:December 02, 2025, 15:32 IST

India has the talent to become a sporting powerhouse—but unlocking it demands patience, strong grassroots systems, mental-health support, and clear pathways for young athletes.

India has the talent to become a true sporting powerhouse, but it will take sustained patience, robust grassroots structures, solid mental-health support and well-defined pathways to guide young athletes to the top.

India has always had the potential to become a great sporting nation. You see it in the children playing in every nook and corner of every city or town, in stadiums full of crowds, and in the way an entire country holds its breath during an exciting sporting moment. Yet for all the emotion we pour into sport, our true potential is still waiting to be unlocked.

The real issue lies in how we develop and support talent. With India’s sports industry projected to cross $130 billion by 2030 and major international tournaments like the Olympics on the radar, the opportunity is immense. For India to truly unleash its sporting giant, we need a more holistic approach – one that looks beyond quick results, beyond glamour, and beyond singular success stories.

We Are More Focused on Results Than We Are on Growth

One of our biggest challenges is expecting results far too quickly. We cheer when someone wins a medal, but rarely think about what it took for them to get there. We place expectations on young athletes long before they have had time to mature. And in many cases, we judge performance only by what happens today, not by the long-term potential an athlete carries. In more developed sporting nations, the focus is almost always on growth. Athletes are given time to learn, fail, adapt, and rebuild. There is patience in the process and support for the journey. India needs to make this shift, from “What did you achieve this season?" to “Who are you becoming over time?" Results show a moment. Development shows a direction.

Grassroots Needs to Be a Foundation, Not a Talking Point

“Grassroots" has become a popular term in sports conversations, but grassroots development is much more than organising a few junior competitions or distributing equipment. A real grassroots system provides every child with safe places to train, consistent coaching, and regular competitions to test their skills. It also supports their emotional and academic needs, teaches them the basics of nutrition, and provides opportunities to all, regardless of their background. Grassroots growth is not a PR activity; it is the first step that determines whether a nation produces athletes occasionally or consistently.

Across India, positive experiments offer templates for a national scale. The ‘Khelo India’ programme stands out—operating across talent identification, creating state-of-the-art infrastructure, athlete scholarships, and a nationwide fitness movement. Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur-based academy network, providing football, hockey, and archery facilities (among other sports), has consistently produced professional athletes (such as Kalyan Chaubey, Rennedy Singh, Dipendu Biswas, and Kiran Khongsai, all football players who have gone on to represent India internationally) by combining grassroots scouting, expert coaching, classroom learning, and health support.

Data Is Useful But It Should Be Paired With Human Understanding

Worldwide, sport is becoming increasingly data-driven. From performance metrics to predictive analytics, numbers play a vital role in decision-making. India has also adapted to this to a large extent, but having said that, data and stats alone cannot capture the complete picture of an athlete.

We need a more holistic model, one where data and intuition work together. Data tells you who performs well on paper. It does not tell you who can handle pressure, adapt quickly, or grow beyond what the numbers show. Those insights can come only from understanding people.

Compassion and empathy, combined with modern analytical tools, can be among our greatest strengths if we learn to balance the two rather than rely solely on one.

Mental Health Needs to Be Prioritised

Part of the holistic model we need to build includes an increased emphasis on mental health. It also means having experts to turn to and creating spaces where athletes feel comfortable and supported. The National Basketball Association (NBA), for example, has adopted major programs that provide mental health resources, education, and confidential counselling to players and coaches. Since the 2019-20 season, the NBA has required all teams to employ full-time licensed mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, to support players and staff. Each team follows strict guidelines for managing mental health crises, with an emphasis on maintaining confidentiality to protect each athlete.

India can learn a lot from this. Sports federations and leagues could require teams to have mental health professionals, train coaches to recognise mental health issues, and offer counselling services. It is also essential for pro athletes to speak openly about mental health to bring about this change.

By making mental health support a natural part of how we train and care for athletes, we can create a culture where players feel supported both on and off the field. That’s when we will see them shine on a global stage.

A Clear Pathway Matters More Than Raw Talent

Young Indian athletes often struggle not because of talent, but because their professional pathways are unclear. After school-level sports, they are unsure where to go next, which makes the journey feel uncertain and dependent on luck.

A big challenge in Indian sports is that the system is not connected. Yes, we have great talent, but many athletes don’t know where to go next. Kerala’s College Sports League is a great start. It brings together more than 1,000 colleges into a single, concrete framework at the district, zonal, state, and national levels. It also provides athletes with regular feedback and a way to measure their improvement

The US college system has worked for so long because everything is organised in one place- training, education, scholarships, coaching, and scouting. Players move from school to college with a clear idea of the steps ahead. Results and feedback are constant, and advancement does not depend on personal connections or chance. Instead, transparent pathways make sporting achievement and professional careers possible for a broad spectrum of athletes, regardless of background.

Clear structure empowers—uncertainty holds back. The more these systems are replicated nationwide, the stronger India’s sporting future will be.

To summarise, for India to truly grow, a few changes are essential. We need to focus on long-term development rather than getting quick results. We should invest in grassroots consistently. We should use data wisely but also trust human intuition. Creating safe spaces for mental health support has to be a priority. These steps are not complicated, but they do require commitment and patience.

India already has the passion and talent. What we need is a strong, supportive system that helps athletes grow with confidence. With the proper focus on development, the next decade can change India’s sporting future. We are not just full of potential – we are a sleeping sporting giant. And when we start supporting talent the right way, that giant will finally rise.

(The Author, Jahnavi Mehta, is the Co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and a graduate of Columbia University in New York. Currently based in the U.S., she serves as a Project Manager at TEG Sport North America.)

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