Chennai's Vasudevan Baskaran hails from a family of hockey players. All his four other players too were established field hockey players of their times. Baskaran has a colourful hockey career as a player, coach and administrator. Educated, polished and eloquent, Baskaran represents the intellect side of the Indian field hockey. Most interviewed and written about hockey player of all times, he is also columnist and writer.

He won gold for India at the Moscow Olympics after figuring in the 1976 Olympics and 1973 and 1978 World Cup.

A FIH accredited coach, he  was made coach of India A in 1995 (India won the Pan-American Cup) & Reached the final of the Junior World Cup (1997); then was promoted to the  senior national teams for many intermittent spells. India won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 1995 and almost made it to the Semi-final of the Sydney Olympics, though a last minute laps against Poland in the last pool match led the hopes dashed.

The midfield marvel was awarded Arjuna in 1979 and Padamshree in 1981