I've tried putting together a list of what I felt was the most defining sporting achievement in each year since independence.
Feel I've been extremely biased(especially the 2 off-field ones); most of you would find some myopic too; felt it was worth celebrating them regardless :)

2018 Manika Batra wins 4 medals at CWG in Gold Coast
2017 Vishwanathan Anand wins World Rapid Chess Championship
2016 PV Sindhu wins silver in womens singles at Rio Olympics
2015 Sania Mirza wins Wimbledo, US Open and season ending WTA Championships

2014 Vikas Gowda wins gold in Discus at 2014 CWG; our first in mens athletics in 56 years
2013 Indian wins ICC Champions Trophy in England
2012 Sushil Kumar becomes first Indian to win multiple individual medals
2011 India wins ICC Cricket World Cup for the 2nd time

2010 Mary Kom wins 5th straight World Boxing Championship
2009 India wins Nehru Cup and SAFF Championship in Football
2008 Abhinav Bindra wins first and only individual gold medal for India in Beijing Olympics
2007 Indian wins inaugural edition of ICC T20 WC

2006 Samaresh Jung win David Dixon award at CWG
2005 Anju Bobby George wins gold in World Athletics C'ships
2004 Rajyavardhan Rathore wins silver in Athens Olympics
2003 Sourav Gangulyld India reaches final of Cricket WC in SA
2002 Koneru Humpy becomes first woman GM from India

2001 Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman help India script historic win at Eden Gardens
2000 Karnam Malleshwari becomes first Indian woman to win a Olympic medal
1999 Anil Kumble becomes 2nd man to pick 10 wickets in a single Test innings

1998 Sachin hits back to back 100s to win Coca Cola Cup
1997 Mahesh Bhupati becomes first Indian to win a Grand Slam title (Mixed doubles with Rika Hiraki)
1996 Leander Paes wins bronze in Atlanta
1995 Karnam Malleshwari defends World Championship gold medal with a WR lift

1994 Kapil Dev eclipses Richard Hadlees record to become all time leading wicket taker in Test Cricket
1993 Sachin bowls India to victory in Hero Cup
1992 Geet Sethi lists world-record English billiards break of 1276- highest in 5 decades

1991 Leander Paes wins Wimbledon and US Open boys singles titles
1990 India wins gold in Kabaddi at Asian Games; start unprecedented streak which is yet to be halted
1989 Limba Ram becomes first Indian to reach QF of World Archery Championships; wins silver in Asian C'ships

1988 Vishwanathan Anand becomes India's first Grand Master in Chess
1987 Sunil Gavaskar becoems first cricketer to score 10000 runs
1986 Usha wins 4 gold and 1 silver medal at Seoul Asian Games
1985 India wins 1985 World Series of Cricket

1984 PT Usha finishes 4th in Womens 400m hurldes at LA Olympics
1983 Kapil's devils upset West Indies to win the Cricket World Cup
1982 Satpal Singh wins gold in heavyweight wresling at 1982 Asiad
1981 Prakash Padukone wins Bronze at 1981 World Games

1980 Prakash Padukone becomes first Indian to win All England
1979 Sunil Gavaskar scores a memorable 221 at Oval as India almost chase down 438
1978 The Sportstar is established

1977 Micheal Ferreira wins World Amateur Billiards Championship and World Open Billiards Championship
1976 Sriram Singh finishes 7th in 800m at Montreal Games
1975 India wins Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur

1974 India reach Davis Cup final, only to forfeit against South Africa
1973 East Bengal beat Pyongyang City SC to win IFA Shield
1972 India wins Bronze in Mens Field Hockey at Munich Games
1971 India wins their first Test series in England

1970 Hawa Singh defends Asian Games title inBangkok
1969 MV Nagendra emulates father MG Vijayasartahi to become first father son duo to officiate in Ranji Trophy Final
1968 India finishes 3rd in Hockey in Mexico City Olympics

1967 Khushi Ram leads India to quarters of Asian Basketball Championship (he finished in top 2 scorers for 2nd straight time)
1966 Mihir Sen becomes only man to swim five oceans in one calendar year
1965 Dinesh Khanna becomes first Indian to win an Asian badminton title

1964 Jeremy Bujakowski becomes first Indian Winter Olmypian
1963 Stephie D'Souza becomes first Indian woman to be bestowed with the Arjuna Award
1962 Indian Football team wins Gold at Jakarta Asian Games

1961 Ramanathan Krishnan reaches semi finals of Wimbledon for second straight year
1960 Milkha Singh finishes 4th in mens 400m in Rome
1959 Gulabrai Ramchand leads India to their first Test win against Australia
1958 Wilson Jones wins Amateur World Championship in Billiards

1957 Sudhir Vaidya starts compiling cricket stats
1956 Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad put together 413 for the first wicket v NZ at Chennai
1955 Indian cricket team tours Pakistan for the first time since partition
1954 Parduman Singh Brar wins shot put-discus double at Manila Asiad

1953 Tenzing Norgay ascends Everest
1952 KD Jadhav becomes Independent India's first individual Olympic medalist; the last for 44 years
1951 Lavy Pinto wins the 100m-200m at Delhi Asiad

1949 Bombay and Maharashtra play out highest scoring first class match of all time in Ranji Trophy final
1948 Independent India wins first Olympic Gold Medal in Hockey

Here's trying to prolong this thread

2019 - PV Sindhu wins gold at BWF World Championship
2020 - Shafali Verma takes us to the final of ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia