50 years in the past, when India gained its 1st, and to date solely, hockey World Cup crown | Hockey Information – The Occasions of India

The early 1970s was onerous on hockey lovers in India. In an period when something lower than an Olympic hockey gold was thought of a failure, solely bronze medals had come India’s method after Tokyo 1964. Even in World Cups, a high podium spot was elusive.
In Barcelona 1971, when the primary World Cup was hosted, India completed third whereas Pakistan lifted the trophy. Amsterdam 1973 was heartbreak central. India led 2-Zero in opposition to Netherlands within the ultimate earlier than agonisingly happening on penalty strokes. India missed a penalty stroke throughout ‘sudden demise.’ A conversion would have resulted straight away triumph. But it surely was to not be.
Nonetheless, 1975 brimmed with expectation.
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The Emergency was nonetheless a number of months away. In captain Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Govinda, V Phillips, Surjit Singh and Michael Kindo, India had a first-rate unit. However have been they higher than Pakistan who had Akhtar Rasool, Samiullah, Islauddin and Saleem Sherwani of their ranks? That was the tantalising query.

India began effectively, however not completely. Pakistan did. Each topped their teams. However in contrast to the neighbours, India suffered a loss. Argentina, the hockey equal to New Zealand in cricket, upset India 2-1. However the semifinal turned out to be a much bigger check.
Backed by a vociferous house crowd, Malaysia performed sterling hockey and led India 2-1. Penalty corners have been plentiful however common taker, Surjit Singh, was having an off-day. In desperation, the dependable Kindo was substituted for a rookie 21-year-old defender from Bhopal.
With simply 4 minutes left for the hooter, India earned a penalty nook. What occurred subsequent is a second engraved in each hockey lover’s reminiscence. Aslam Sher Khan kissed the tabeez (amulet) given to him by his mom; his strike sending the match into extra-time. Harcharan Singh’s objective earned India a spot within the ultimate once more.
Within the different semis, Pakistan seemed unstoppable routing Germany 5-1.
These have been radio days. Everybody skilled sports activities by way of the lens of the spoken phrase and creativeness. Jasdev Singh, the doyen of Hindi sports activities commentary, was behind the mike. Just a few senior college students introduced transistor radios to highschool. A few of them reduce courses to take heed to the commentary. The noise they made advised us India gained the World Cup. Fittingly, hockey wizard Dhyanchand’s son, Ashok Kumar, scored the decider in a 2-1 win.
In my thoughts’s archive, I all the time pictured Kumar dodging previous the Pakistan defence and scoring the match-winner. Fact is, as I noticed after watching the ultimate on YouTube some years in the past, it got here off a goalmouth melee.
Watching the match performed on grass in Kuala Lumpur, I additionally realized how dramatically hockey has modified because of the introduction of astro-turf within the 1976 Montreal Olympic. I vividly bear in mind the celebrations. Crackers have been burst, however it wasn’t something like these days.

When hockey was all about nationwide delight and emotional funding
No person had that type of cash then. But a way of pure pleasure was evident all over the place: colleges, paan outlets, streets, bus stops. It was the one level of dialog. With Indo-Pak cricket in hiatus, hockey was the sport the place nationwide delight and collective feelings have been invested. On that ‘Ides of March’ each hockey participant additionally grew to become a family title that sports activities lovers of a sure classic can nonetheless reel off by reminiscence.
Within the weeks that adopted, widespread magazines akin to ‘The Illustrated Weekly of India’ and ‘Dharmyug’ carried cowl tales of the triumph. Gamers acquired awards in varied varieties. As an illustration, the Punjab authorities gave them Rs 5,000 every. The UP authorities gave every member a Vijay scooter. Quantities and awards that let you know one thing concerning the occasions.
Sadly, India by no means stood on the hockey World Cup podium thereafter. The 1980 Moscow Olympics gold too got here in opposition to a vastly truncated subject. Caught napping by astro-turf, it might be many years earlier than the nation would change into a drive in hockey once more. Now hope floats with two consecutive Olympic bronze medals gained in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. However the nation awaits the golden glow.