The glorious path of Indian hockey has been splendour with
numerous players who ardently framed the true definition of sportsmanship.
India has been the most successful team in the history of hockey. This is
magnificent not just because it proves to be the national game of the country
but the players have proved the extravagance of the game to the world.
Flipping through the page of Indian Hockey history, our team
has governed worldwide and won a number of records which has been unbeatable. The
Indian hockey champions were the first non-European group to be the part of
International Hockey Federation.
Despite being debunked on the 5th position in the World rankings, India has splurged winnings with top players with their splendid defending and goal-scoring prowess. Some of these legends are listed below.
Dhyan Chand
Dhyan Chand is still the best hockey player ever and
is counted amongst the best competitors in Olympic history. This man’s
sports skills were as high as mountains that people spoke numerous myths about
his abilities as a hockey player. He has been the greatest player to grace the
game and wore a tag of ‘The Wizard’ for his stupendous stick-work and
ball-controlling skills.
He also won three Olympic Gold medals for India and has been regarded for scoring the highest number of goals in the game. 29th August ‘National Sports Day’ is bestowed in his name which celebrates lifetime achievements of sportsmen. This day marks his birthday when the President honours National Sports Awards to numerous Indian players for their excellent achievements.
Balbir Singh
He is another extraordinary player Indian hockey ever produced and he is popularly known as Balbir Singh Senior who won every Olympic game he participated in. Balbir Singh was the first hockey player to be honoured with Padma Shri for his best centre forwarding skills. This man has been the crucial part of the Indian hockey team. Under his retirement and reign of coaching the Indian hockey team managed to reach the third set group of 1971 Men’s Hockey World Cup and it also won the 1975 Men’s Hockey World Cup. This man also wrote two autobiographies- The Golden Hat Trick (1977) and The Golden Yardstick: In Quest of Hockey Excellence (2008).
Leslie Claudius
This 1927 born legend belonged to Bilaspur in
Chattisgarh and has managed to win the most Olympic medals including 3 Gold and
1 Silver for the country. Leslie Claudius was known for his best half-back
skill in the history of hockey. This man became the first player to represent
India in four continuous Olympics winning over 100 caps. He mentored the
national team that bagged the second position in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He too was conferred
with Padma Shri in 1971 for being one of the finest players to bud in the game.
Udham Singh
He is popularly regarded as the pillar of the Indian hockey team. This man is another hockey legend who made his international debut with the Hockey Series against Afghanistan in 1949 and further represented India in 4 Olympic Games. Udham Singh is the second Indian player to win 3 Gold medals and one silver in the sport after Claudius. This man was awarded the Arjuna Award for his constant commitment towards the game. Post his career, he also coached the Indian team and led them to win a silver medal at Mexico Olympics and the Asian Games in Bangkok. A finger injury pushed him from becoming the first Indian to have represented the country at five consecutive Olympic Games.
Dhanraj Pillay
Dhanraj Pillay has undoubtedly been the finest players
of Indian Hockey Team who captained India for few years. His sharp attacking
move led him to be honoured with Padma Shri and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
He stood out unarguably amongst other players of the team by being one of the
best forwards in the world hockey. His dribbling skill was very fast that
players in defence could merely notice when he pierced through.
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