The magnificence of numerous Indian hockey players cannot be summed up in a few sentences. They are the game’s legends who will always be remembered. In this article, we have discussed some of the finest Indian hockey players. Can you name the first custodian to lead a team at the international level? Scroll down to read about the Greatest Indian Hockey Players.
Greatest Indian Hockey Players
The wizard, who was overwhelmed by his defeat’s shame, made the proclamation, “As long as I live, I shall never forget this match, or get over the shock of this defeat, which still irks me.” The 1936 Summer Olympics practice match between British India and the host Germany ended in a defeat, which made the hockey icon Dhyan Chand agitated. On that restless night, he confessed himself in the passage indicated above. This resulted in a memory so alluring, a promise so enduring, and a tale so motivating that it revolutionized the development of Indian hockey.
In the championship game, British India defeated Germany 8-1, and the rest is history. We shall learn more about the illustrious hockey players from India and how they made history.
The national push for Indian independence was sparked by the 1936 Olympic triumph against a rising superpower. Following India’s independence, several well-known hockey players used these recollections to improve their performance. As a result, from 1948 to 1956, the Indian hockey team was able to capture gold in three straight Olympics. The uncontested champions of the stick and ball game, the Indian hockey heroes set off on a spectacular voyage.
The Indian Hockey Player
1. Indian Hockey Player Dhyan Chand
Dhyan, who was born on August 25, 1905, joined the British Indian army like his father. Although it was well known that he preferred wrestling, fate had other plans for him. He joined the Army team and the country learned about his uncanny knack for scoring goals. The world watched as the British Indian team scored a god-sweeping goal through the verdant meadows of Amsterdam as they entered the 1928 Summer Olympics. His mystic reputation is reflected in a well-known story about his turning down a better rank in the Nazi German army that was given to him by Hitler.
Dhyan Chand, sometimes known as “The Magician,” is the best hockey player who has ever lived. Numerous well-known sporting sagas have been centered around Chand’s control of the ball.
2. Indian Hockey Player Balbir Singh Dosanjh
Balbir Singh Sr., who was born in 1924, is a living legend and, after Dhyan Chand, India’s most well-known hockey player. Singh’s fearsome reputation was cultivated by his aggressive, machine-like goal-scoring ability. The 2012 Olympic Museum Exhibition honored Singh for his contributions to the exciting game of hockey. In 1957, Singh received the Padma Shri award, and in 1982, he was named the Indian Sportsperson of the Year.
Singh has built a tremendous name throughout the years. In an Olympic men’s hockey final, he set a Guinness World Record by tallying five goals. In 2015, Singh was given the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award.
3. Udham Singh
Udham, who was born in 1928, came from the Jalandhar hamlet of Sansarpur, which is known for producing numerous national hockey players. During his undergraduate years, he decided to pursue a hockey career. He played hockey for the Punjab police for around 18 years, and because of his outstanding domestic play, he was given multiple caps. When he achieved the same achievement as Leslie Claudius in 1964 for holding the most Olympic medals, Udham Singh made daily headlines. Udham subsequently earned a bronze and a silver medal while coaching the Indian hockey team. Udham received the Arjuna Award in 1965 for his hockey accomplishments and for being one of India’s most renowned players ever.
4. Dhanraj Pillay
He is the first hockey player in Indian history to have competed in four of each of the Olympic, World, Champions, and Asian Games. Due to his numerous contributions to the game of hockey throughout his fifteen-year career, Dhanraj receives a particular mention on the list of great hockey players in India. He continues to draw criticism for his unvarnished views about India’s hockey administration. Dhanraj concentrates on developing Indian hockey on the AstroTurf.
He is a well-known hockey player internationally, making him the current torchbearer of Indian hockey. In honor of his achievements, Dhanraj was given the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for 1999–2000.
5 . Roop Singh
In 1932, India produced the greatest inside left. Roop, Major Dhyan Chand’s younger brother, played with him to establish India as the hockey king. He was well known for both his aggressive play style and his genuine humility. He continues to be one of India’s most well-known hockey players. His greatness is attested to by a boulevard in Munich and a cricket pitch in Gwalior.
6. Leslie Claudius
Leslie, who was born in 1927, grew up enjoying football. Richard Carr, an Indian Olympian, noticed a glimmer of hockey talent in him. Claudius, an Anglo-Indian of the middle class, was adamant about pursuing a career in athletics. His decision to give up his hopes of playing football shortly after winning the Beighton Cup was a gift for Indian hockey. His outstanding performance on the ice helped him become one of India’s most well-known hockey players at the time.
He remained a part of the dominating Indian hockey squad that won three straight Olympic golds from 1948 to 1956. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971 and was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for winning the most Olympic medals in hockey, demonstrating the extent of his influence.
7. Ajit Pal Singh
Ajit, a native of Sansarpur, Punjab, was touted as another rising star when he was born in the year of Indian independence. He still manages the Indian hockey team at the age of 73. One of India’s live hockey legends is Ajit. He received multiple caps for the Indian hockey team as a result of his outstanding performance at the 1968 Olympics. However, following the team’s dismal performance in the 1976 Olympics, Ajit declared his retirement from professional hockey. He received the Padma Shri in 1992 and the Arjuna Award in 1970 for his outstanding services to Indian hockey.
8. Mohammed Shahid
The hockey guru was born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, in 1960. Shahid scored goals in three summer Olympics and two Asian Games throughout his ten-year international career. Famous for his “Half push, Half hit” stroke, Shahid motivated many players, like Dhanraj Pillay, to show their passion for the game. He was selected for the 1986 Asian All-Star squad thanks to his abilities. In 1980, Shahid won the Arjuna Award, and six years later, he was given the Padma Shri. In his memory, the 1980s was a memorable decade.
9. K.D. Singh
Born in 1922, Kunwar Digvijay Singh, well known as Babu, had hockey skills that led to comparisons to the wizard on a global scale. I can’t think of enough terms to adequately characterize his exceptional dribbling and the timing and geometrical correctness of his passes, the late New Zealand captain Cyril Walter once penned. The dribbling of Babu is poetry in action. K.D. won the Helms Trophy and was recognized as the Best Sportsman in the World in 1953.
10. Shankar Laxman
Shankar, known as “the Rock of Gibraltar,” carried a tremendous charm drawn from his army might as he guarded the Indian goalpost. When the aggressive captain of the Indian hockey team, Balbir Singh, suffered a hand fracture during the 1956 Olympics, Shankar displayed an amazing performance. His character exuded grandeur to the point where a hockey magazine from Australia reportedly stated, “For Lakshman, the ball was the size of a football. It was his “afternoon of glory and fame,” as they said about his Olympic Games performance in the 1964 finals.
Throughout his career, Shankar won the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri, and in 2016 he was posthumously given the Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award. Because of this, he may be found among the many names of renowned Indian hockey players.
11. P.R. Sreejesh
Sreejesh, who hails from a tiny hamlet in Kerala, earned a spot on the national squad as soon as he finished school. One of the best goalkeepers in the world, according to many. During the Champions Trophy competitions, Sreejesh twice won the award for best custodian. It is nevertheless remarkable that he did well in the Asian and Commonwealth Games. He received the Padma Shri honor in 2017.
13. Mandeep Singh
Mandeep Singh, a native of Jalandhar, Punjab, has made sure that the opposing goalpost is marked as the enemy and that he continuously shoots balls at it. This young prodigy is one of India’s most well-known hockey players at home. He has participated in about eight international competitions, brilliantly representing India each time.
14. Harmanpreet Singh
Harman’s stick play, which he brings with him from the outskirts of Amritsar, has always mesmerized the audience. His ability to score goals and macho demeanor have garnered him fans throughout the continent. He is a bright player who wants to advance Indian hockey, which is why his name is listed with those of well-known Indian hockey players.
15. V.R. Raghunath
A well-known drag flicker came out of the Karnataka Kodagu region. Since his debut in 2005, Raghunath has played a key part in bolstering the national team. The numbers demonstrate how well he performed on the global stage. For his outstanding contributions, he was named the Best Player of the 2013 Asia Cup event.
Also read, Sardar Singh To Train Men Sub-Junior Hockey Group
