They had won the silver medal in the previous edition, and three successive gold medals at the three editions before that.
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They say that redemption is one of the sweetest things a person can taste. If that is true, then there are few in the history of sports in India who have tasted a sweeter redemption than the Indian hockey team members who won the gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. They had won the silver medal in the previous edition, and three successive gold medals at the three editions before that. What makes the 1964 Olympics story one of redemption is the fact that the team beat Pakistan in the final to win the gold. Why is that important? It was Pakistan who handed India a crushing defeat in the final of the 1960 Olympics to break the country’s winning run in the sport.
The Indian team had lost their talisman Balbir Singh Sr ahead of the 1960 Olympic Games. The forward was such an important part of the team that the entire gameplan was somewhat built around his abilities. During his years, the Indian team took a direct approach. They played slick and fast passes, and dribbled past defenders to score. After his retirement, there was a complete change in tactics. The Indians adopted a more physical and cautious approach, rather than going all out from the get-go. It would be unfair to say that the tactic was a failure. It did lead the team to a silver medal at the Olympics, which is no small feat. However, the team needed that extra something to regain their glory and reclaim their crown.
“There was a lot of pressure after the defeat in 1960. There was so much passion for the sport in the country that nothing less than gold was acceptable. More so, because Pakistan had also beaten India in the 1962 Asian Games final,” Harbinder Singh, one of the key members of the 1964 squad had said to the newspaper Indian Express.
A massive selection procedure was undertaken ahead of The Games. It was quite clear that the Indians would do everything in their power to reclaim their throne from Pakistan. As many as 77 players from across the country were shortlisted. They were then sent to a month-long camp in Jalandhar under coach Habul Mukherjee. However, making it to the final team was going to be no simple task.
“The initial group of 77 was first reduced to 55 and then 36. The final squad of 18 was to be decided after a three-day selection trial but such was the competition that it had to go into the fourth day before the team was finalized,” Harbinder Singh reminisced.
The side looked like a closely-knit group with a brilliant team spirit as they prepared to depart for their preparatory tour in New Zealand and Malaysia ahead of the Olympics. India’s campaign in New Zealand, however, began with a 1-2 loss and the local media was quick to write off their chances in the Games.
“We played this match a day after we arrived in New Zealand and we were hardly rested,” Harbinder Singh told Hockey India. “What made it worse was the rains. Back in those days, we played in leather boots as stud shoes were not available in India.”
As the Olympics commenced, the Indian team did not have the hype or the expectations of bringing home the gold medal. There were signs of a change in the playing style in the previous Olympics, but this time, it was drastically clear. Gone were the days of slick passing moves and dribbling at defenders. India now adopted a highly physical approach, something they were not very familiar with. Their campaign started with a 2-0 victory over Belgium, followed by their first-ever draw in the Olympics. It was against Germany.
The Chiranjit Singh-led side recorded yet another draw against Spain in the next match and by this time, hopes of winning the gold seemed bleak. However, the team finally found their rhythm and managed to win four consecutive matches to make it through to the semi-finals. Defender Prithipal Singh was in top form as he netted 11 goals while the forward line of Harbinder Singh and Joginder Singh proved to be a terror for the opposition defence.
There was incessant rain during the semi-finals as India walked out to play Australia. The rains were supposed to put India at a disadvantage, but there was no sign of that. The team played beautifully and recorded a comfortable 3-1 victory to make it to their fifth consecutive final. Suddenly, the belief was back, and the team was confident. Perhaps they were raring to go as their opponent was the defending champion, Pakistan.
However, Pakistan was the favorite to win. They looked like the India of old with dominating performances right from the get-go. The fact that they were the defending champions also must have had a psychological effect on the players. They had beaten Australia, Great Britain and hosts Japan.
“Relations between the two teams were not very cordial. We were not on talking terms. Against India, Pakistan employed a very rough game,” explained Harbinder Singh. “Those days, there were no television cameras and video referrals, and it was very difficult for the umpires to spot all the fouls and infringements.”
The match did get quite physical and heated at one point, so much so that the umpire had to halt the game and ask the players to behave themselves on the pitch.Â
It was goalless at half-time. The Indians came out in the second period and began to push for an opener. Their efforts were rewarded as Prithipal Singh drove in with a fierce hit from the top of the striking circle, his shot struck Pakistani captain Manzoor Hussain’s foot on the goal line, handing India a penalty stroke. Mohinder Lal made no mistake as India took the lead.
What followed was a barrage of attacks from Pakistan. Wave after wave of fast attacking moves that completely caught the Indian defence off-guard. What Pakistan might not have expected was the performance of veteran Indian goalkeeper Shankar Lakshman. The keeper kept all shots out and was awarded the man of the match for his performance.
India was crowned gold-medalists for the fourth time in five years at the Olympics, and this time, it probably felt the sweetest as they had beaten their arch-rivals to bring the coveted medal back home. With the loss of so many of their star players, this Indian side bore a new look and did not really have much hype going into the tournament. However, their teamwork and will to win proved to be the difference as the players were awarded the gold medal, and the nation rose to the summit of world hockey yet again.
