Having come close to clinching the title twice in 1971 and 1973, the Indian team took the field once again in the third World Cup Hockey championship held at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It was a tough field with 12 teams participating. India were clubbed in Group-B alongside West Germany, England, Australia, Argentina and Ghana.
The champions of the 1973 battle at Amstelveen, the Netherlands, were grouped with Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain, Poland and hosts Malaysia.
The teams were now awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. Unlike now, hockey matches then were played over 70 minutes with two halves of 35 minutes each.
Pakistan, a contender for the title, began on a damp note as they were held to a draw by Poland 2-2. Their match against the Netherlands also ended on even keel at 3-3. They, however, won their other three pool matches against Malaysia (2-1), New Zealand (2-0) and Spain (5-0) to finish at the top of Group-A and seal a semifinal berth. Malaysia, playing attractive hockey, also entered the last four by finishing second in the pool with 8 points securing two wins, two draws and a defeat.
Holders Netherlands, however, could not rise to the stature of defending champions in this edition of the World Cup as they lost three of their pool matches to Poland, New Zealand and Malaysia by identical 2-1 margins. Having drawn against Pakistan, they only won against Spain (3-0) and finished ninth in the competition.
India had a fine team with Leslie Fernandez and Ashok Diwan guarding the goal. Surjit Singh and Michael Kindo, who were to serve the country with distinction for several years, along with young Aslam Sher Khan formed the defence line. Both Singh and Khan were extremely good at penalty corner conversions. Years later, Kindo would represent Odisha in the national championship.
Ajitpal Singh, the captain of the side and centre half, was flanked by Varinder Singh, Mohinder Singh and Onkar Singh. The forward line boasted of the great Dhyan Chand’s son Ashok Kumar, a dribbler par excellence, BP Govinda, Vadivelu Philips, Shivaji Pawar, Harjinder Singh, BP Kaliah and Harcharan Singh. Philips and Harcharan were the two flankmen while the bustling Govinda led the attack.
India opened their campaign with a hard fought 2-1 victory over England with all the goals coming in the first session. In the next game, the team was held to a 1-1 draw by Australia. India recovered to maul inexperienced Ghana 7-0 in the next match but slumped to a shock 1-2 loss against Argentina. India concluded the pool matches with a 3-1 victory over West Germany.
Both India and West Germany finished the preliminary round with three wins, a draw and a loss collecting ten points each. But India was put at the top of the group as they had the better of the Germans in the pool game.
In the semifinals, India was to play Malaysia before a vociferous home crowd while Pakistan clashed with West Germany.
In the first semifinal, Pakistan boasting of a strong defence and razor sharp forward line, outclassed West Germany 5-1 to make a grand entry into the final of the World Cup for the second time.
Playing before a partisan crowd in the second semifinal, India fell behind as Malaysia forged ahead with a goal in the 32nd minute scored by Loke. Malaysia led 1-0 at the half time. Centre forward Shivaji Pawar equalized for India five minutes after resumption, but the hosts went ahead again when Shanmuganathan converted a penalty corner in the 42nd minute.
With five minutes remaining, defeat loomed large for India. But the forwards forced a penalty corner which Aslam Sher Khan converted with aplomb. India had drawn level. The match ended 2-2 spilling over to extra time. India went all out for the winning goal as left winger Harcharan Singh found the boards in the 79th minute. India won the tie 3-2 and entered the final for the second consecutive time.
The final was played on March 15. The country was on the edge anticipating an Indian victory though they were pitted against a talented Pakistani squad. The only way to keep track of the proceedings was to listen to the live commentary on All India Radio. Pakistan had a redoubtable team comprising stalwarts like Samiullah Khan, Saleem Sherwani, Manzoor Ul Hasan (Sr), Munwar uz Zaman, Akhtar Rasool and captain Islahuddin.
Indian hearts sank as Pakistan took an early lead with striker Mohammed Zahid finding the net in the 17th minute. The first session ended with Pakistan ahead 1-0. Surjit Singh, however, restored parity by converting a penalty corner in the 44th minute.
The two teams continued to struggle for supremacy, but ace dribbler and schemer Ashok Kumar penetrated the Pakistan defence to score again for India seven minutes later. The Pakistan attackers continued their relentless raids to level the score but the Indian defence stood its ground till the final whistle.
India had won the World Cup for the first time. West Germany, in a match played before the final, out-clashed Malaysia 4-0 to finish third in the competition.
(The writer is a senior journalist based in Bhubaneswar)
