Indian hockey team once used to reign supreme at the world stage. In a strongly worded praise of Indian hockey players, a Dutch journalist once wrote,

“The Indian ball seems ignorant of the laws of gravity. One of these tanned diabolical juggler’s stares at the ball intently; it gets upright and remains suspended in the air. It only proceeds on its way when a player has bestowed a nod of approval on it.”

Hockey’s popularity goes back to the pre-independence era, with India winning its first gold at the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928, followed by two consecutive wins in Los Angeles in 1932 and Berlin in 1936. One common thread in all three wins was the presence of hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand who played a formidable role in popularizing the game in pre-independence India.

Increasing political tensions worldwide and the ensuing World War II from 1940 to 1945 meant that sporting action had to take a break. When Olympics resumed after a break of 12 years in 1948, Balbir Singh (Senior) carried forward Dhyan Chand's legacy and was at the forefront of Indian hockey’s dominance in the immediate post-independence era.

The 23-year-old Singh made his Olympic debut in the second match against Argentina. He scored 6 goals in a winning match tally of 9-0. Despite a match-winning performance, he wasn’t picked for the remaining matches.

Also Read: Father of Madras Cricket: A Forgotten Tale

In a rather shocking turn of events, Singh was pulled out of the team at the last moment in the matches against Spain and Holland. Fortunately, the team management decided to field him for the final against Great Britain, on the intervention of Sh V.K. Krishna Menon, then High commissioner of India in England.

The final at the majestic Wembley stadium on August 12, 1948 against the former colonizers was a thrilling contest. Balbir scored two crucial goals, first of those coming in the 7th minute followed by another one in the 15th minute, providing India with a significant advantage going into the second half.

His gameplay did something extraordinary. It compelled the English crowd them to cheer for the Indian team. The Kishan Lal led team completed a 4-0 rout against their former rulers and reaffirmed their superiority at the world Hockey stage.

It was an euphoric moment for the newly independent country to see its national anthem being played and the tricolor being raised at the victory ceremony. "Looking at the flag, I felt I was rising along with it, flying in the air", Singh expressed joyfully. The significance of the feat can be understood from the majestic reception accorded to the team on coming back home.

Singh mentions in his autobiography The Golden Hat-trick-My Hockey Days,

"We were swept off our feet and it was here that I realized what the victory meant to our nation, starved as it was of world class accomplishments. Hockey was the only sport that gave the country a ray of golden hope, something to cheer for and celebrate."

By the time of Helsinki Olympics in 1952, Singh had successfully sealed his spot in the team. He was appointed the vice-captain of the team and was also the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. He netted nine out of India’s thirteen goals in an artistic performance. His stand-out performance came against Netherlands in the final where he racked up 5 goals thrashing Netherlands by 6-1, creating a world record for most individual goals in an Olympic final, which remains unbroken till date.

Four years later, the Indian team led by flag-bearer Singh went to Melbourne aspiring to complete a golden hat-trick. In an astonishing performance, India scored a total of 38 goals and did not concede a single goal in the whole tournament. Singh played with a fractured hand in the finals where India defeated its arch rivals Pakistan 1-0 to complete their golden hat-trick at Olympics as a free nation. This was Singh’s last appearance in the Olympics for India.

After his incredible stint in the Olympics, Singh was awarded the Padma Shri. He was the first sportsperson to receive the prestigious honour. He continued to be associated with hockey in the capacity of selector, coach and manager. He was manager of the team in 1975 when India defeated Pakistan 2-1 to win their maiden World cup title. He was also the coach of the team which won the bronze medal in the Hockey World Cup in 1971.

A true ambassador of the game, his countless achievements remain etched in the memory of sports fans across the globe.

Trivia: The character of Himmat Singh played by Sunny Kaushal in Excel Entertainment's Gold has been loosely inspired by Balbir Singh.

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