R Praggnanadhaa's sister Vaishali, 17, became India's latest WGM on Sunday, securing her third and final norm at the 8th Riga Technical University Open in Latvia. In June this year, Praggnanandhaa had become India's youngest and the world's second youngest GM at just 12 years of age. Vaishali, who became a Woman International Master (WIM) two years ago, is also currently India's highest-ranked female chess player under the age of 18.
As we celebrate the success of the young brother-sister duo, we take a walk down memory lane and pick out out India's most successful sporting siblings.
Yusuf and Irfan Pathan (Cricket)
Irfan, the younger of the Pathan brothers, made his breakthrough into international cricket at the age of just 19 during India's tour of Australia in 2003-04, playing a role in their historic win against Steve Waugh's side in Adelaide on debut. He went on to become India's leading all-rounder in all formats, and was player of the match when India won the inaugural World T20 final against Pakistan in 2007. That match also marked the international debut of the big-hitting Yusuf, who opened the Indian innings and tonked the second ball he faced in international cricket for six. Yusuf and Irfan played 16 international matches together, and the former was also part of India's World Cup-winning squad in 2011.
Geeta and Babita Phogat (Wrestling)
Born just a year apart, the Phogat sisters' international success has been unusual for siblings in Indian sport. Geeta became the first Indian woman to win a wrestling gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi, while Babita had to settle for a silver at the same Games. In 2012, both sisters picked up bronze medals in their respective weight categories at the World Championships. Geeta has since been unable to replicate her success from the early part of this decade, but Babita kicked on to a gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and also picked up silver at Gold Coast earlier this year.
PK and Prasun Banerjee (Football)
PK (originally Pradip Kumar, but better known by his initials) Banerjee is one of Indian football's all-time greats, a FIFA Order of Merit awardee and star striker of the team that won gold at the 1962 Asian Games. Banerjee also featured in two Olympic campaigns for India, including as a 20-year-old when India made a run up to the semi-finals of the 1956 Games in Melbourne, beating Australia 4-2. PK would also serve Indian football as a coach for both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, as also multiple stints with the national team. While PK remained steadfastly associated with the unglamorous Eastern Railway team in club football, his younger brother Prasun made his name as a central midfielder for Mohun Bagan and later with Mohammedan Sporting. Prasun also captained India with distinction and played for India at three successive Asian Games between 1974 and 1982. His biggest triumph in an India jersey was when India shared the Asian Youth Championship title with Iran in 1974, co-captain of the side with striker Shabbir Ali.
Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh (Hockey)
"He scores goals like runs in cricket," Don Bradman once said about Dhyan Chand. The Indian hockey team's three golds at the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympics owed much to Dhyan Chand's free-scoring ability, best exemplified when the centre-forward scored eight of India's goals in a 24-1 demolition of hosts U.S. at the Los Angeles edition in 1932. The only player to outscore him was his younger brother Roop Singh, who would play inside left in both Indian teams of 1932 and 1936. Roop Singh also has the unusual distinction of having had a cricket ground named after him, the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior. In 2012, London renamed three of their tube-stations after Indian hockey players in the run-up to the Olympics -- Watford Junction and Watford High Street were temporarily christened Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh, respectively.
Dola and Rahul Banerjee (Archery)
Dola Banerjee was a constant in the Indian archery teams of the 1990s and the decade following that, capping it off with an individual gold at the recurve competition at the 2007 World Cup in Dover, and another at the World Cup Final in Dubai that year. She also picked up a team gold in the recurve event at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, together with an individual bronze in the same competition, before signing the year off with a team bronze at the Asian Games. Younger brother Rahul matched his sister's feats with an individual gold in men's recurve at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and also featured in the team bronze in Guangzhou that year. Both siblings have featured at the Olympics as well, with Dola in 2004 and 2008 and Rahul four years later.