Asia Cup 2003 Champion - INDIA

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 2:53 am

India did win the World Cup in 1975. I have vivid memories of listening to the commentary of the final match over the radio.

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 3:54 am

India's performance in Hockey World Cup

1971 Venue: Spain; Winner: Pakistan; India 3rd
1973 Venue: Holland; Winner Holland; India 2nd; Pakistan 4th
1975 Venue: Malaysia; Winner India; Pakistan 2nd

1978 Venue Argentina; Winner Pakistan; India 6th
1982 Venue Mumbai; Winner Pakistan; India 5th
1986 Venue England; Winner Australia; India 12th; Pakistan 11th

1990 Venue Lahore; Winner Holland; India 10th; Pakistan 2nd
1994 Venue Australia; Winner Pakistan; India 5th
1998 Venue Holland; Winner Holland; India 9th; Pakistan 5th

2002 Venue Malaysia; Winner Germany; India 10th; Pakistan 5th

India's performance in Olympics:

2000 Sydney India 7th
1996 Atlanta India 8th
1992 Barcelona India 7th

1988 Seoul India 6th
1984 Los Angeles India 5th
1980 Moscow India 1st

1976 Montreal India 7th
1972 Munich India 3rd
1968 Mexico City India 3rd

1964 Tokyo India 1st
1960 Rome India 2nd
1956 Melbourne India 1st

1952 Helsinki India 1st
1948 Londoin India 1st
1936 Berlin India 1st

1932 Los Angeles India 1st
1928 Amsterdam India 1st

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 4:35 am

Jay, it was May 1975 in Kuala Lumpur that India won the World Cup, with Ajitpal Singh as captain, Surjit Singh and Aslam Sher Khan as our ace full-backs and penalty-corner converters and Ashok Kumar (the wizard son of Dhyan Chand) as centre-forward. It was an unforgettable match, as was the semi-final win over hosts Malaysia (3-2, with Surjit saving one on our goal-mouth and Aslam Sher Khan scoring twice).
Tragically, Indian hockey reached its nadir the next year at the Montreal Olympics when we lost horribly to Australia (6-1 if I remember right) after our full-back Ajit Singh missed sitter after sitter (two simple field goals, 4 penalty-corners and a penalty stroke!). It has never been the same for Indian hockey since -- until 2003 (and briefly in 1998 with the Asian Games gold, the fruits of which were quickly squandered by IHF politicians who decided to punish Ashish Ballal and Dhanraj Pillai for insubordination rather than hailing them for the great victory).

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 4:46 am

kathiresan...you guessed right. I play tennis once or twice a week, but this weekend was my first cricket match in two years (didn't want to call attention to it). I made a very satisfying 20 with four 4s and am a bit stiff this morning after bowling four wicketless overs.
Btw, was it on TV3 in Malaysia last night? I'll try and get a recording of the match if possible. I remember the 1973 World Cup in Amsterdam too, when we beat Pakistan in the semi-final and lost narrowly 1-2 to Holland in the final. Charles Cornelius was our gallant goal-keeper, but the nucleus of the rest of the 1975 team was largely in place by 1973: Michael Kindo, Harmeek Singh and Surjit Singh; Govinda and Ajitpal Singh; Ashok Kumar, etc. Oh for a return to those glory days...let's hope KL 2003 turns out to be a better omen of the future than KL 1975 was.

kathiresan_v · Post by **kathiresan_v** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 6:05 am

wow..lots of information, thanks. I would call u all as veterans

PKB it was not telecasted in Malaysia...as far as I know even the private channel (astro) not telecasted it.

Where did u got the match info from? radio?/

kathir

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 10:34 am

Kathir, I had to follow it on rediff.com -- but there was nothing reported after 2-2 (they were updating after every goal!). Suddenly, they said India had won, and soon after they had a nice quickie report on the final.
Very unfortunate that they didn't show it on any channel. I wonder if Doordarshan India was telecasting it.
Incidentally, Indian sportsmen have often done well in Kuala Lumpur. Local residents remember with fondness Prakash Padukone's triumph in the badminton World Cup there, and Ramesh Krishnan's victories in what used to be called the Salem Open (where a gallant Adam Malik from the host country regularly lost in the first or second round).

Post by **jayakris** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 12:51 pm

PKB -- The 76 Montreal Olympics debacle that you mention is the one that just never seems to go out from my mind. I heard the match on radio and just could not believe what was happening to Indian hockey. Yes, coming right after the high in Kuala Lumpur and that being really the only sport where we had any chance that year, the match literally made me me, then a 13 yr old, literally cry. I have never been able to look at names like "Charlesworth" without serious fear ever again. Luckily that last name, India's nemesis, is not very common even among Australians.

Later we heard that Indians had no clue on Astroturf against teams that did not necessarily keep the ball on the turf and dribble much. Seems like it took 25+ years for us to catch up somewhat and be contendors in world hockey.

Jay

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:21 pm

Kathir,

Here is the link to the history of India's performance in Champions Trophy.

http://www.rediff.com/sports/cthis02.htm

Only four nations have won the trophy in the past 25 years: Pakistan (three times), The Netherlands (6), Australia (7) and Germany (8). India's best showing is a third place in the fourth edition at Amstelveen, the Netherlands in 1982.

kathiresan_v · Post by **kathiresan_v** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 1:35 am

thanks...greatly hope this indian team will catch up with all those peoples in the coming years.

Suresh has said in this forum earlier that he watched the first macth aginst china in doordharson..means, sure the final should have telecasted in India..... oooooh.... if it was not telecasted means everone missed the chance to watch the fantastic treat, a greeeaaat win!!!! I am mad, noooo....

Todays newspapers reported 'President hails India's win'....celebrations going all over India. Meanwhile, i forget to mention that Mrs. Veena Sukri, our high commisioner to Malaysia felicitated during the prize giving ceromony after the final.

Kathir

kathiresan_v · Post by **kathiresan_v** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 1:55 am

hey...this is heartening;

Its reported in 'The Hindu'

Injured drag flicker Jugraj Singh thanked his Indian teammates for fulfilling the promise they made to him by winning the Asia Cup.

"My teammates and captain have fulfilled the promise they made to me,'' Jugraj, who is recuperating from multiple fractures suffered in a car crash, told a TV news channel.

``Now I feel I should get well soon and return to the team because they have kept their promise,'' he said.

Kathir

Kumar · Post by **Kumar** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:24 am

Great performance by India. Have india qualified for olympics next year? If not when is the qualifying tournament? and where are they playing?

BSharma · Post by **BSharma** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 2:30 am

The Indian hockey team has not qualified for the 2004 Olympics so far. Read more about it at the Athens Olympics thread.

Here is the link about the qualification process.
http://www.fihockey.org/vsite/vfile/pag ... ile,00.pdf

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 3:43 am

The qualifying tournament is in Madrid, in March (although I'm not completely sure of the dates). Spain hosted the first World Cup in 1971 (Barcelona) and were runner-up to India at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. They used to be a significant hockey power in the 1970s and 1980s but have had less success in recent years. As hosts of the qualifying tournament, however, they are probably in a good position to qualify. The first seven teams in the qualifying tournament get into the Olympics.

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 4:00 am

There is a disturbing story today about an unseemly public row between captain Dhanraj Pillai and coach Rajinder Singh. This is most unfortunate, although IHF secretary Jothikumaran did a good job of papering over the issues.
We mustn't let politics spoil the atmosphere created with this great win. Rajinder (like many of the players of any Indian sport from an earlier generation) dislikes the publicity that some players naturally attract (particularly Dhanraj). Dhanraj is a magnificent jewel of world hockey, and it is not a coincidence that he has been involved in both of India's great hockey triumphs of recent years (1998 Asian Games and this Asia Cup); I think only Dilip Tirkey (and perhaps Baljit Dhillon or Prabhjot Singh) among the rest of the 1998 squad is still in the team. But we mustn't let silly journalists and administrators spoil this triumph with another tiresome "Inquiry" into a trivial episode.
People like Rajinder should realise that publicity will help hockey.
If Dhanraj, Jugraj, Deepak Thakur, Gagan Ajit Singh, Baljit Dhillon, etc. become household names (like their predecessors from the 1970s were), the chances of Indian hockey achieving commercial success will increase manifold -- and with it the prospect of a virtuous circle of better performances on the field too.

PKBasu · Post by **PKBasu** » Tue Sep 30, 2003 4:05 am

When I was 9, and the 1973 World Cup was on, I remember arguing with friends over whether Charles Cornelius or Cedric Perrera should be keeping goal for India, and whether Harmeek or Surjit Singh was India's best full-back. I wonder whether young kids today even know the names of India's main 11 players. This is part of the problem with Indian hockey today. Success breeds success...if it is allowed to.

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