Indian men's hockey team has a rich and storied history, especially in the Olympic Games, where they dominated the sport for decades, winning eight gold medals. The team has produced some of the greatest players such as Major Dhyan Chand, widely regarded as the greatest field hockey player in history.
However, India could win the hockey World Cup only once, at the third edition of the Hockey World Cup held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
March 15, 2025, Saturday, marks the 50th anniversary of India's landmark victory over Pakistan in the final. It was a red-letter day for Indian sports as it was the country's first world team title in any sporting discipline.
India entered the semi-finals topping Group B, winning three, and drawing and losing a game each. They took on hosts Malaysia in the last-four clash and the match was played in front of a partisan crowd of about 50,000. In a thrilling encounter, India came back from behind to edge Malaysia 3-2. India were trailing 1-2 in the dying moments of the match, but Aslam Sher Khan netted a last-gasp equaliser and Harjinder Singh scored the winner in extra time. Earlier, Shivaji Pawar had got India the lead before Malaysia scored two goals.
Pakistan entered the final by decimating West Germany 5-1. Pakistan, filled with some of the best players of that generation, were widely tipped as the favourites before the title clash. Pakistan went ahead in the 17th minute through master dribbled Mohammed Shahid.
However, Surjit Singh drew parity for India in the 44th minute. After seven minutes, Ashok Kumar, son of Dhyan Chand, found the winner to propel India to their first World Cup glory.
"After the 1964 Olympic gold, the 1975 World Cup was a major achievement for the Indian team. It has been 50 years since that victory, but the memories are still fresh in my mind," said Ajit Pal Singh.
"While there are countless memories from the journey, we faced several challenges along the way but never gave up. At one stage, we suffered a setback against a weaker team like Argentina and found ourselves in a must-win situation. In the semifinal, we were trailing 1-2 against Malaysia but turned things around in extra time to defeat the hosts," the former centre-half reflected on the glorious campaign.
Unfortunately, Surjit Singh died on January 6, 1984, in a road accident. In a glowing tribute to his heroics, the hockey stadium in Jalandhar was named after him.
In the 12 World Cups that followed, India failed to win a medal. In the last edition, held in 2022, India finished a lowly ninth.
Over the last few years, Indian hockey has been on a path of revival, having won bronze medals in the last two Olympic Games.
© 2025