Hockey India to celebrate 50th anniversary of World Cup win with glittering function on March 15; HI chief Dilip Tirkey wants current team to be inspired and excel at Belgium-Netherlands in 2026
India’s 1975 World Cup winners with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Pic/Onkar Singh’s Personal Collection
Fifty summers ago, Indian hockey shone brightly to finish with a gold medal at the 1975 World Cup in Malaysia. The Ajit Pal Singh-led team beat arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in a hotly-contested final on March 15. To commemorate the Golden Jubilee of this fine feat, Hockey India will be felicitating members of the 1975 team at a glittering function in the Capital on March 15.
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‘Great achievement’
“That World Cup win was a great achievement. It remains Indian hockey’s biggest moment on the World Cup stage. We [Hockey India] have invited the members of that glorious team and the families of those players, who are not with us anymore, for a function at a five-star hotel in New Delhi on the evening of March 15 to celebrate 50 years of that great achievement,” Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, 47, told mid-day on Tuesday.
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Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey
The function will coincide with the Hockey India awards for which a prize pool of a whopping R12 crore has been announced by Hockey India.
“The 1975 World Cup-winning team members will also receive cash awards though I would not like to disclose the amount at this stage,” added former India
captain Tirkey.
That thrilling final
In the World Cup final on March 15, 1975, Pakistan’s Muhammad Zahid Shaikh opened the scoring in the 17th minute at the Merdeka Football Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. India struggled in the initial stagges of the encounter, but soon fought back with Surjit Singh (44th min) equalising and thereafter Ashok Kumar (51st min), son of the legendary Dhyan Chand, netting the all-important winner.
Indian hockey has been on a high, winning back-to-back bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Games followed by the 2024 Paris Olympics besides winning the Asian Games gold medal and Asian Champions Trophy. Tirkey is hopeful that Harmanpreet Singh & Co can emulate Ajit Pal Singh & Co at next year’s Hockey World Cup (August 14 to 30) to be jointly hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.
“On current form, the Indian hockey team’s aim is nothing less than the podium [Top 3 finish] in every tournament they participate. That’s the aim for next year’s World Cup too. And I’m sure when our current national players meet the Class of 1975 on March 15, they will be inspired to try and ensure history repeats itself,” concluded Tirkey.
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