India’s 1973 Hockey World Cup team was the best

Indian goalkeeper Charles Cornelius rushes out to thwart a Dutch attack during the final at Amstelveen in 1973.

Which was the best Indian team in the World Cups? If you go merely by the tag of world champions, then Ajitpal Singh’s team of 1975 would be the obvious answer.

But sport has its hidden facts and the roll of honour won’t reveal the class of the 1973 team which all but won the title at Amstelveen in the Netherlands..

What the records will tell you is that India finished runners-up to the hosts, losing in the tie-breaker in the final after taking a 2-0 lead within eight minutes of play.

If you take a trip down memory lane, the words of coach RS Gentle come back crystal clear: “I will eat my hat if this team doesn’t win the World Cup!” Gentle would have been joined in a refrain by everyone who rubbed their eyes in disbelief, not merely because of the skills the team exhibited, but also the stamina and pace which left even robust forces like Germany and the Netherlands gasping for breath.

“Yes, we were very fit and could have played two matches at a stretch if needed,” said both captain and right winger MP Ganesh and goalkeeper Charles Cornelius.

And that wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration. Both former players were profuse in praise for Jagmohan Singh, a former international athlete and deputy director of the National Institute of Sports, the physical fitness expert who trained the team at an exacting camp in Patiala.

“Jagmohan put us through a very good exercise routine and it helped us cope with a great workload through the tournament,” said Cornelius.

In Amstelveen, the fleet-footed Indians routed Japan 5-0 in their opening match, dominated West Germany but drew goalless with them, routed 1971 semifinalists Kenya 4-0, inexplicably drew 1-1 with New Zealand but responded magnificently in a crunch battle against Spain, winning 2-0 before beating Pakistan 1-0 in a classic semifinal.

The match-winner against Pakistan, a magnificent reverse-flick on the run by BP Govinda showcased the skills the team possessed, although the tournament’s revelation was the staying power of the team which boasted of loads of experience and a rich vein of form.

Ganesh, on his part, believes that team selection was spot on. “The best players, for once, represented the country,” he said.

And the best candidate for captaincy led the side. Ganesh was exemplary in his leadership on and off the pitch. He suavely circumvented the problem of non-payment of money gathered by the team management from NRIs in Poland and the erstwhile East Germany on a tour en route to the World Cup. “We told them that money doesn’t matter. We will play for the country,” Ganesh recalled.

The team had what it takes: An efficient goalkeeper in Cornelius, a solid defence line including two penalty corner specialists in Surjit and Baldev Singh and in Michael Kindo, the quiet bulwark of the side.

It also boasted of the best half-line in the world with Ajitpal Singh as the pivot and Harmik Singh and Virender to his left and right respectively.

The forward line presented the aggression of Govinda as spearhead, the guile and craft of Ashok Kumar, son of Dhyan Chand, and the smooth runs of Ganesh on the right wing and Harcharan on the left.

There was a chink, though, in the armour – inability to convert penalty strokes and India paid the ultimate price. Govinda missed three, including one in the final against the Netherlands in sudden death extra-time with just 30 seconds remaining, foiled as he was by the legendary Marteen Sikking. Govinda had stepped up to take the stroke after Harmik and Ajitpal expressed their reluctance.

Harmik wasted one in the semifinal against Pakistan while Harcharan Singh sent his effort miles above the post in the tie-breaker in the final.

In contrast, the 1975 team fared superbly in this area – all penalty strokes were converted, thanks to Mohinder Singh, the quiet left-half – which helped them become the champions.

1973 SQUAD

GOALKEEPERS: Charles Cornelius, Cedric Pereira, FULL-BACKS: Surjit Singh, Michael Kindo, Baldev Singh , HALF-BACKS: V. Bhaskaran, Harmik Singh, Ajitpal Singh, Virender Singh, FORWARDS: Harcharan Singh, Chand Singh, Ajit Singh, BP Govinda, Ashok Kumar, VJ Phillips, MP Ganesh (captain).