Hockey: Indian legends of the hockey world cup squad of 1975

 The victory also helped India shed the label of "chokers," as they had previously lost in the same final to the Netherlands two years prior.

Ajit Pal Singh, Aslam Sher Khan, Surjit Singh, and Ashok Kumar were among the best players on the 1975 World Cup team. Despite having numerous outstanding players among their ranks, Indian hockey icon and three-time Olympic gold medalist Balbir Singh Sr. was one of the driving forces behind India's World Cup victory. He was given the task of managing and coaching the team.

Ashok Kumar, the son of hockey legend Dhyan Chand, scored the game-winning goal. In 1971 and 1973, he was an important member of the Indian squad, which won bronze and silver medals, respectively. However, he was only recruited to the squad as the 16th player before the event began, and his chances of playing were limited.

As a result, when he arrived in Kuala Lumpur, he spent a long time staring at the trophy in the glass case. It was now or never for him.

"To be honest, the loss in 1973 final still haunts me," he told IANS. "We lost on penalties after the score remained 2-2 after extra time." "In Sudden Death, B.P. Govinda missed a penalty stroke in extra time. The Netherlands won the penalty shootout 4-2. The loss was a setback for a well-balanced team" he added.

Argentina was India's only defeat in 1975. They qualified for the final by defeating European powerhouse Germany 3-2 and Malaysia 3-2 in extra time. 

"The entire squad worshipped in Kuala Lumpur's mandir, masjid, and gurudwara before the final." Some of our players became discouraged in the final as Pakistan took a one-goal lead in the 17th minute. In the 44th minute, Surjit Singh levelled. I then scored the game-winning goal in the 51st minute.

"India's World Cup victory in 1975 sparked a Tehelka (storm) in the country. It makes us feel good about ourselves. The date of March 15, 1975, is a watershed moment in Indian hockey. India had previously been regarded as a squad of silver and bronze medalists. With this victory, we were able to erase that label "he declared

Upon arriving home, the legend himself was waiting for him together with the entire city of Jhansi. He was greeted as a hero, and the three-kilometre journey from the station to his home took four hours.

"'Dadu' (father Dhyan Chand) stroked my back in appreciation when I arrived home. It was a rare occurrence when he touched me since I usually kept a safe distance from him out of respect. He'd never pushed us to pursue sports as a career because the benefits were few and far between, and he'd seen it all "Kumar stated.

Ajit Pal Singh, like Kumar, carried the pain of the 1973 loss in his heart. He wanted to make apologies for the earlier setback because second chances are rare in life. They believed they could beat any team in the game after scoring seven against Ghana in the group round. However, Pakistan is always a difficult opponent because tensions between the two countries are strong.

"It was an exciting match. We didn't notice because we were on the field playing. Those who witnessed the game, however, told us otherwise. The Pakistani squad has always had a powerful attacking line, and this time was no exception. We had to play solid defence against their forwards" Singh remarked.

The 1975 victory remains a crowning achievement for Indian hockey. Following their return to India, the players were given a scooter. But the affection and respect they received far outweighed any financial gain.