The India Hockey team achieved glory in the 1975 World Cup as they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in a closely fought encounter in Kuala Lumpur.
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The year 1975 was a volatile year for India. It was the year when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had declared an emergency. The India Hockey team was also on a downward slide when it came to international events. Having won consecutive gold medals in the Olympics from 1928 to 1956, India had a bit of a slump. In 1960, they secured silver but bounced back to win the gold in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, India had to settle for bronze as teams started working out their game.
Many sports enthusiasts will remember the year 1975 as the year when the Cricket World Cup was conceptualized for the first time. The Indian cricket team had a disastrous tournament, winning only one game and that too against East Africa. However, in that year, the India Hockey Team achieved tremendous glory, with the icing on the cake being a victory against Pakistan.
In 1969, there was a proposal by Pakistan’s Air Marshal Nur Khan. He proposed an idea to Patrick Rowley, the first editor of World Hockey magazine. In that, he suggested an idea for the Hockey World Cup. The proposal was approved and in the meeting in Brussels in 1970, it was decided that the Hockey World Cup would be held in Pakistan in October 1971.
However, the war between India and Pakistan erupted in 1971. With Bangladesh also declaring their independence, the situation was volatile. When Pakistan invited India for the World Cup, there were violent protests. It was reported that one of the protests was led by Abdul Hafeez Kardar, one of the two Pakistan cricketers who had played Tests for both India and Pakistan.
The FIH decided to move the first Hockey World Cup to the Real Club de Polo grounds in Barcelona, Spain. Despite all the turmoil in the country during General Franco’s last years, the venue was deemed safe. The FIH set no requirements for the size of the competition. The inaugural edition of the tournament in 1971 saw only 10 teams.
In the 1971 competition, Pakistan defeated Spain 1-0 in the final to be crowned the inaugural World Cup winners. India finished third after beating Kenya 2-1 in extra time. In the 1973 edition held in Amstelveen, India reached the final against the hosts the Netherlands. The match ended 2-2 and it went to penalties. The Netherlands won 4-2 as India was denied a chance for glory again. Pakistan, the defending champions, finished fourth after losing 0-1 to Germany. In the 1975 World Cup, the venue was Kuala Lumpur and India had a chance for glory again.
India started their 1975 World Cup on a high by beating England 2-1. They drew 1-1 against Australia but thrashed Ghana 7-0. The side suffered their first major jolt when they lost 1-2 to Argentina. Despite the loss, they bounced back to defeat West Germany 3-1. India finished in the top two and reached the semi-final.
In the semi-final, they were trailing 1-2 against hosts Malaysia. But, two late goals by Aslam Sher Khan and Harcharan Singh helped India beat Malaysia 3-2. Pakistan made a strong statement by thrashing West Germany 5-1. Heading into the final, Pakistan were the favorites.
In the final, it was Pakistan who got the early going as Mohammad Zahid scored a goal in the 17th minute. India levelled the game in grand style when Surjit Singh scored in the 44th minute. Surjit would later go on to captain India in the 1976 Montral Olympics, the first games that would see India come back without a medal.
However, India took the lead with Ashok Kumar scoring seven minutes later. Ashok Kumar had a rich Hockey lineage. He was the son of Dhyan Chand, the greatest hockey player in history. There was some controversy regarding the goal. On a pass from Surjit Singh, Ashok Kumar hit the ball to goal. The ball hit the corner of the post and bounced out. But for a fraction of a second, the ball had been in the goal. Pakistan players protested that it should not be a goal. But, the Malaysian umpire G Vijaynathan confirmed the goal.
India finally achieved history as they won the World Cup for the first time. Their 2-1 win was a proud moment in the country’s history. However, it was the last time that major tournaments were played on grass surfaces. After the 1975 World Cup, all hockey games switched to turf which became very difficult for the India cricket team to master.
After the end of the 1975 World Cup, Surjit Singh and Ashok Kumar represented India in the 1976 Montreal Games. However, India finished seventh. Although the India hockey team secured gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, their downward spiral began.
They failed to win a medal in the 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Their fortunes touched rock bottom when they failed to qualify for the first time in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. India continued to struggle in 2012 and 2016, failing to reach the medal playoffs.
Ashok Kumar, who scored the winning goal in the final, was appointed manager of the hockey teams of Indian Airlines and Air India. Surjit Singh died in a car crash in 1984 in Jalandhar. The hockey stadium in Jalandhar, the Surjit Hockey Stadium, is named after him. In 2000, with the persistent efforts of Surjit Singh’s family, the ancestral village of Surjit Singh was renamed after him. Initially, it was called Dakhla. Now it is known as Surjit Singh Wala. A hockey academy named after him is also being run by the Government of Punjab.
The Surjit Hockey Society was established in Jalandhar. It organizes the annual Surjit Memorial Hockey Tournament in Jalandhar every year. In 2007, with the efforts of Surjit Singh’s family, a statue was installed in Batala to commemorate the legendary hockey player. Surjit Singh was posthumously awarded the Arjuna Award in 1998.
