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The India men's national field hockey team is a team that represents India in international field hockey competitions. The team is under the control of Indian Hockey Federation. India was the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation.[1]
In 1928, the team won its first Olympic gold medal and until 1960, the Indian men's team remained unbeaten in the Olympics, winning six gold medals in a row. The team had a 30–0 winning streak during this time, from their first game until losing in the 1960 gold medal final. India also won the World Cup in 1975. India's hockey team is the most successful team ever in the Olympics, having won eight gold medals. India emerged as champions at the games in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1980. India also has the best overall performance in Olympic history with 77 victories out of the 126 matches played. They have also scored the most goals in the Olympics
than any other team. They are also the only team to ever win the Olympics without conceding a single goal in 1928 and 1956.
The men in blues are also one of the most successful team in Asia. They have won the Asian Games three times in the year 1966, 1998 and 2014. India came out on top in the Asia Cup in 2003, 2007 and in 2017. India has won 40 out of the 53 matches, the most by any team in the Asia Cup. They are also the most successful team in the Asian Champions Trophy by winning the competition three times in 2011, 2016 and in 2018. In total, India have won 27 official international titles.
History
Golden years (1928–59)
India decided to send a team in 1928 Olympics after the formation of Indian Hockey Federation. India then went on to win the whole competition. In the group stage india beat Austria 6–0, Belgium 9–0 and Switzerland 5–0 without conceding a single goal. They defeated Netherlands 3–0 in the final under the captaincy of Jaipal Singh Munda.[2] India then went on to defend their title in 1932 Olympics with a 11–1 win over Japan and 24–1 win over USA in that match Dhyan Chand hit 8 goals and Roop Singh scored 10 goals, This is still the largest margin of victory ever in the Olympic games even after all these years.[3] India went to the 1936 Olympics to win their 3rd straight title, this time captained by legendary player Dhyan Chand himself. India stormed through the group stage by winning against Japan 9–0, Hungary 4–0 and United States 7–0. In the Semi-finals they defeated France 10–0. The team went on to face Germany in the final. The match was won by India 8–1, it was the only goal india conceded in the whole competition and also remains the biggest winning margin in the final.[3] The Indian hockey team that won 3 successive Olympics title is often regarded as the greatest ever team.[4]
The World War II caused the cancellation of 1940 and 1944 Olympics, which ended the era of the team that dominated the world hockey.[5]
In the 1948 Olympics India was placed in group A and won all the three games, a 8–0 win over Austria, Argentina 9–1 and Spain 2–0. In the final India went on to face Great Britain, it was the first time India faced them. Great British team has already won the gold medal in 1908 and 1920, so this match was billed as battle of Champions and eventually India won the match 4–0.[6] The result was a sweet one for India, which gained independence from Britain just a year ago. This win is often regarded as the greatest ever moment of Indian field hockey and also all of Indian sports.[7]
India went on to win 2 further gold medal at the Olympics in 1952 Olympics and 1956 Olympics, preserving its record as the most successful and dominant team at that time. In 1952 Olympics quarter-finals India won against Austria 4–0, Great Britain 3–1 in Semi-final and thumped Netherlands by the score of 6–1.[8] The match is famous for the 5 goal magical performance of Balbir Singh Sr.,which is an Olympic record that still stands today. In the 1956 Olympics India defeated Afghanistan 14–0, United States 16–0 and Singapore 6–0 in group stage. India defeated Germany 1–0 in semi-final. In the final India faced Pakistan and won the match 1–0, which was the beginning of the biggest rivalry in field hockey.[9] India and Pakistan again met each other in 1958 Asian Games and this time the match ended in a 0–0 draw. India also defeated Japan 8–0, South Korea 2–1 and Malaysia 6–0. But Pakistan claimed gold medal in the Asian Games by better average. It was the first time India finished runners-up in an international competition.[10]
Last years of dominance (1960-80)
In the 1960 Olympics India started its campaign by winning against Denmark 10–0, and Netherlands 4–1, New Zealand 3–0. India defeated Australia and Great Britain in quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. In the final it was the beginning of a new era ,for the first time India lost a match at the Olympics, 0–1 loss to Pakistan in the final which ended India's streak of 6 successive gold medals and 30 match unbeaten run.[11] Two years later India went on to win another silver medal at the 1962 Asian Games. India returned strongly in 1964 Olympics by registering wins against Hong Kong, Belgium, Netherlands, Malaysia and Canada and drawing with Spain and Germany. In the Semi-finals India defeated Australia 3–1, and they won against Pakistan in the final to take their 7th gold medal at the games and also went on to clinch the gold medal in 1966 Asian Games by defeating Pakistan again.[12]
In 1968 Olympics India started with a loss against New Zealand but won all of their remaining 6 matches against West Germany, Japan, Spain, Mexico, East Germany, Belgium but India went to a new low, for the first time as they were defeated in the semi-final by Australia and went on to play bronze medal match at the games but they successfully claimed the bronze medal by beating West Germany.[13] In 1972 Olympics also the result was same India started brightly by defeating Great Britain, Australia, Kenya, New Zealand and Mexico but drew with Netherlands and Poland. They were defeated in the semi-finals by Pakistan. In the Third-place match India defeated the Netherlands to claim bronze medal.[14]
One year prior to the 1972 Olympics India won bronze medal at the 1971 World Cup by virtue of a win over Kenya. In 1973 World Cup India defeated Pakistan in semi-finals, but lost to Netherlands in the final in penalty shoot-out after the match ended in a 2–2 draw. But in the 1975 World Cup India defeated Malaysia in the semi-final before beating arch-rivals Pakistan to claim their first title.[15]In the 1976 Olympics astro-turf hockey pitch was introduced, India struggled to maintain their dominance like they did on grass fields and for the first time ever returned home empty handed. The
1980 Olympics was held in Moscow, India started their campaign with an 18–0 win over Tanzania followed by a 2–2 draw with Poland and Spain and resounding win over Cuba by a margin of 13–0 and another win over Soviet Union by a scoreline of 4–2. India Later won the gold medal for the record 8th time by defeating Spain in the final by a score of 4–3.[16]
Decline (1981–1997)
After the 1980 Olympics success India's performance declined and the following decades proved to be of ups and downs for the national team. As the team failed to win any medal in the World cup or Olympics , but continued to be a top team in Asia and went on to win several medals in continental competitions.1982 World Cup was hosted by India in and finished at 5th position. The team lost to Pakistan in both 1982 Asian Games final and the inaugural Asia Cup final held in Karachi. India ended the 80s by winning bronze medal at the 1986 Asian Games and 1982 Champions Trophy and silver medals at the 1985 Asia Cup and 1989 Asia Cup. Their only gold medal success in a major tournament came in the 1985 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
India also went on to win 1991 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and reached finals of 1994 Asia Cup but lost to South Korea in the final. But India later went on to win the 1995 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
India started the new millennium by the inaugural Hockey Champions Challenge beating South Africa in the final. In 2003 India won their first ever Asia Cup title. India clinched the first and only 2003 Afro-Asian Games title by defeating Pakistan in the final. For the First time in their history the team did not win a medal at the Asian Games as they finished fifth at the 2006 Asian Games, but India defended their title successfully in the Asia Cup by winning the 2007 Asia Cup. In the final the team conveniently beat South Korea 7–2. It was in 2007 the team slumped to their lowest ever ranking of 12 in FIH World Rankings.
The next Asia Cup tournament in 2009 proved to be disastrous as the team finished 5th and failed to get any medals. The first time that happened. But the team regained momentum after winning the 2009 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and also became the joint winners in the 2010 edition. In the 2010 World Cup, which was hosted in India, and the team finished on 8th position. In the 2010 Commonwealth Games which was again hosted by India, the national team reached the final where they were defeated 0–8 by Australia in the final, the biggest defeat India ever suffered. India became the first ever champions of the Asian Champions Trophy after they beat Pakistan in the final of the 2011 edition. In 2012 the team finished last at the Olympics as they lost all their matches, it was disappointing given the fact that they are the most successful team ever at the Olympics. India also finished runners-up in the 2012 Asian Champions Trophy.
2013–present
After the disappointment in Olympics India played at the 2013 Asian Champions Trophy but could only finish at 5th place. The 2014 Asian Games became the turning point as the team defeated Pakistan to win their 3rd gold medal. In 2014–15 Hockey World League India won the bronze medal by beating Netherlands. The team reached the finals of 2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy but lost to Australia in penalty shootout. But bounced back by winning Asian Champions Trophy in 2016 Asian Champions Trophy by defeating Pakistan and 2017 Asia Cup by defeating Malaysia. The team also won bronze medal at the 2016–17 Hockey World League by defeating Germany 1–0. The team also reached the knock-out stages of Olympics since 1980 but lost to Belgium.
The 2018 Asian Games proved little disappointment as India who was defending champions as well as favourites was surprised by Malaysia in semi-final but won bronze medal by defeating Pakistan 2–1. The team returned strongly by winning 2018 Asian Champions Trophy and collecting a gold medal at the 2018–19 Men's Hockey Series. India played as hosts in the 2018 Hockey World Cup and reached the quarter-finals but lost to Netherlands.
Gallery
Match of the Indian team at 1928 Olympics
Match of India against United States at the 1932 Olympics
The Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics
India scoring their third goal against Britain at the 1948 final
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Amsterdam, Netherlands
Los Angeles, United States
Berlin, Germany
London, United Kingdom
Helsinki, Finland
Melbourne, Australia
Rome, Italy
Tokyo, Japan
Mexico City, Mexico
Munich, West Germany
Montreal, Canada
Seoul, South Korea
Barcelona, Spain
Athens, Greece
Beijing, china
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Barcelona, Spain
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mumbai, India
London, England
Lahore, Pakistan
Jakarta, Indonesia
Bangkok, Thailand
Tehran, Iran
Doha, Qatar
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Muscat, Oman
Glasgow, Scotland
Boom, Belgium
Johannesburg, South Africa
Colombo, Sri Lanka
