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The international hockey federation (FIH) introduced the men's hockey World Cup in 1971, with Pakistan winning the inaugural edition of the competition. In that mega event, India finished third, winning the Bronze medal.
It was not till 1975 that India's national hockey team were able to secure the World Cup trophy. It is also the only time that the side have completed this feat, which is kind of underwhelming given that they are eight-time Olympic champions.
The 1975 Men's Hockey World Cup: A recap
In 1975, the Men’s Hockey World Cup was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They beat Pakistan in the final after having lost to their bitter rivals in the semifinals in 1971. They took revenge for the same after defeating their rivals 1-0 in the semis of the 1973 edition of the competition.
But in the final, they lost to the Netherlands as the Dutchmen became the first team to win the hockey World Cup on home soil. It was in 1975 that the side came off their own.
Managed by the legendary Balbir Singh Sr and captained by the experienced Ajit Paul Singh, India topped Pool B with three wins, one draw and a solitary loss to Argentina. In the semis, they faced hosts Malaysia and secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory, setting up a clash with bitter rivals Pakistan yet again.
The final was held at the Merdeka Football Stadium. Pakistan's Muhammad Zaid Sheikh gave his side an early lead but Surjit Singh scored in his second World Cup final as India came back on level terms. The winning goal was scored by Ashok Kumar who is the son of Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand.
“We were very close to winning the trophy in 1973 but lost to the hosts despite leading by two goals at one time. I missed a goal in extra time and we missed penalty strokes in sudden death. It was heartbreaking for us. So we did not want to leave any stones unturned in 1975,” the match-winner Ashok Kumar later said.
Given their prudence back then, it is an absolutely surprising statistic that India have failed to reach the semifinals in any of the Hockey World Cups since. Especially since the side were a hockey powerhouse to reckon with and were regulars on the Olympic and Asian Games podiums. In fact, India won a record eight gold medals in men’s hockey at the Olympics, with the last one coming in Moscow in 1980.
Meanwhile,India’s fellow Asian powerhouses at the time Pakistan are the most successful team in the men’s hockey World Cup with four titles. The Hockey men of India have been part of all 14 editions of Men’s Hockey World Cups to date and will also be appearing in the 15th one, held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela this time around.
