He was as much a factor in India’s epic World Cup triumph as any other member of the team. Even if he spent time on the bench as the minutes ticked away in the 1975 final against Pakistan which India won 2-1.

P E Kalaiah

P.E. Kalaiah was a talented inside-forward in that fairy tale triumph. But was he nervous as the minutes ticked away slowly with India leading by the slenderest of margins?

“Not at all. We dominated the second half and the last few minutes especially,” said the 70-year-old.

“Of course, playing Pakistan always caused us nervous moments but we dominated the match after trailing at half-time. “We went all out in the second half and Surjit Singh (penalty corner) and Ashok Kumar (following a long corner) scored.

“Ashok Kumar was my roommate so his goal made me all the more joyous,” Kalaiah reminisced. “He was fond of music and a good singer… he sang his favourites songs often,” he fondly recalled.

“We were on Cloud 9 after the final hooter. What a wonderful feeling it was to be World champions. We had a good camp in Chandigarh. The tournament itself was memorable and the celebrations when we returned home too.

The victors and the happy countrymen.                                                                   Photo by Ashok Vahie

“I played just two matches – against Ghana at left-in and Argentina as right-in,” Kalaiah, who spent a year playing league hockey in Italy in 1973, recalls.

As to India’s defeat to Argentina, Kalaiah recalls that it had rained just before the match and the team found it difficult coping with a soggy ground.

“The team bounced back from that defeat,” he goes back in time. “In our crucial concluding league match against Germany two players stood out – Shivaji Pawar, our centre-forward and VJ Philips on the right-wing. We won 3-1 and were on the way to the semifinals.”

Mumbai-based Kalaiah never played for India after Kuala Lumpur 1975 but was a fixture for Tata Sports Club where he entertained fans in the local league and Bombay Gold Cup before calling time on his career in 1984.

Photos: Ashok Vahie

INDIA AT THE MEN’S FIELD HOCKEY WORLD CUP
After winning Bronze and silver at the first two World Cup Hockey tournaments held in Barcelona and Amsterdam respectively, Indian men’s field hockey team took part in the 3rd World Cup hockey held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The team: 1975 WORLD CUP HOCKEY: Ajit Pal Singh (Captain), Leslie Fernandes, Ashok Dewan, Michael Kindo, Surjit Singh, Aslam Sher Khan, Virender Singh, Onkar Singh, VJ Philips, Harcharan Singh, Ashok Kumar, Shivaji Pawar, BP Govinda, HJS Chimni, P E Kaliah, Mohinder Singh. Coach: GS Bodhi Manager: Balbir Singh Sr.

Matches:

LEAGUE

Beat England 2-1
Drew Australia 1-1
Beat Ghana 7-0
Lost to Argentina 1-2
Beat Germany 3-1

KNOCK-OUT

SEMIFINAL

Beat Malaysia 3-2

Shivaji, Aslam Sher, Harcharan

FINAL

Beat Pakistan 2-1
Surjit Singh & Ashok Kumar)

HIGHLIGHT: India won the crown at the 3rd Field Hockey World Cup in 1975. India is yet to win medal even though 11 more editions were staged as on 2021.