Go India Go !

As the Hockey World Cup is commencing on 28th February in New Delhi, I felt the need to catch up a little bit with our National game. So after poking my head into websites like Wikipedia, www.indianhockey.com and www.indianetzone.com, I was able to put together some interesting facts.

• Our Men’s Hockey Team has won Olympics Gold Medal 8 times and that too 6 times consecutively, from 1928 - 1956.
• We created World Record in 1932 when we won against USA 24-1(the record is still unbeaten). The single goal scored by USA was due to the fact that the Indian goal keeper got a bit lax and was signing autographs behind the goal post!!!
• In 1936 Olympics final, during the last part of the game, Dhyan Chand had to be administered first aid. He came back and played barefoot. India won 8-1.
• A Sports Club in Vienna built a statue of Dhyan Chand with 4 hands and 4 sticks."To the Viennese, no man with two hands and one stick could have played the way Dhyan Chand did."
• In World Cup, India has won only once (1975) whereas Pakistan has won the title 4 times and have finished twice as runners up.
• The Current World Champions are Germany.

In the past 3 decades, Cricket has taken the centre stage in Indian Sports arena and hockey slowly faded away. It is true that the Current Indian Men’s Hockey team may not be the best in the World. But after reading all the mindblowing achievements of our hockey team in the 1930s, 40, and 50s, I do wish that we can once again become that dominating in Hockey. We do not know where the current Indian Men’s Hockey team stands in International ratings. But that is not going to stop us in supporting and cheering for them from all our heart. So here is wishing them all the very best !

N.B : The 1st match of the tournament is going to be India Vs Pakistan. So that is going to make it all the more interesting.