All-Time Best Teams
Another exciting moment was when I heard that I was elected to captain India in the 1936 Olympics. Selection as the India captain certainly was least expected by me.
Autobiography of Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand
Published by Sport & Pastime, Chennai, 1952
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All-Time Best Teams | Some have asked me what were the most
interesting moments of hockey career. A very exciting moment in my life
was when I met Don Bradman in Adelaide in 1935, when the great cricketer
posed for a photograph along with me, Pankaj Gupta and Roop Singh.
Another exciting moment was when I heard that I was elected to captain India in the 1936 Olympics. Selection as the India captain certainly was least expected by me. |
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fter
my return from East Africa in early 1948, I decided to give effect to my earlier
desire to retire from serious hockey altogether. I was asked to play against
the Olympic team in September 1948 after its return from England. I accepted the
invitation gladly because it gave me an opportunity to assess present-day
hockey.
A lot of people suggested to me when I was in Kolkata to bid farewell to first class hockey to pick the best hockey team India could raise. I am drawing my conclusions from two decades of playing active hockey. In my opinion, the best hockey team that India could raise during this period was:
I would like to stress that Cullen (Jr.) and M. J. Gopalan of Madras would be close seconds to Norris, and Frank Wells of Punjab and now of Bengal was almost on a par with Dara.
In my opinion, of the four Olympic teams that India sent out (1928 - 1948) the best combination was that of 1932. Of course, I do not say for a moment that the 1932 team was composed of the best players, but as a team it was easily the best.
Many people have asked me to suggest the best present-day Indian hockey team. I played against the Olympic team in Delhi in 1948, and I witnessed the complete Beighton Cup tournament in Kolkata in 1949. During this time, I had the privilege of leading the Rest of India against the Olympic team, and another Rest of India side against the Bengal team.
In other words, in 1949 in Kolkata, I had the opportunity of witnessing almost every hockey player of repute and could make my own selection.
The goalkeepers today in the country, in my opinion, are not a patch on the goalkeepers of the past, particularly our great goalkeeper R. J. Allen of the 1928, 1932 amd 1936 Olympic teams. R. Francis of Madras and L. Pinto of Bombay are the two outstanding goalkeepers now in the game in India.
Of the backs, I would suggest Owen Ferreira of Bombay, R. S. Gentle, formerly of Delhi and now of Bombay, and Trilochan Singh of Punjab.
Among the half-backs, the best combination will be Claudius (Bengal), Keshav Dutt, formerly of Punjab and now of Bengal, and Jaswant Singh, formerly of Delhi and now of Bengal. Perumal would be a good understudy for Claudius, Maxi Vaz and Ravi Dev Misra for Keshav Dutt, and Da Luz for Jaswant.
Of the forwards, I think none could replace Kishan Lal as the outside-right. K. D. Singh Babu is easily the best inside-right, but I do not approve of his Anna Pavlova style of play all the time, which slows down the game and would prove menacing if India is pitted against a strong combination.
It is a pity that we have no outstanding centre-forward. What we have today is company of mediocrites among whom I would choose Balbir Singh of East Punjab.
Pat Jansen (Bengal) is easily the best inside-left with Udham Singh (Punjab), and Habib is a very close second.
Lateef is the best outside-left, but I understand that he has left for Pakistan. The only other outside-left that impressed me, and who should do well provided somebody told him that too much of individual play is not good, is Rajagopal of Bangalore.
I have also been asked to name the best match I have played in. I will never forget two matches in my life. One was the 1933 Beighton Cup final between Jhansi Heros and Calcutta Customs, and the other is the India vs. Berlin XI match in Berlin in 1936.
Some have asked me what were the best and most interesting moments of long hockey career. A very exciting moment in my life was when I met Don Bradman in Adelaide in 1935, when the great cricketer posed for a photograph along with me, Pankaj Gupta and Roop Singh.
Another exciting moment was when I heard that I was elected to captain India in the 1936 Olympics. Selection as the India captain certainly was least expected by me.
There was an occasion when I felt that I was the top dog. That was when I met the Maharajkumar of Vizianagaram (Vizzy) on board the P & O Strathmore during our return home from the Berlin Olympics.
Vizzy was returning from England after the much discussed India tour of England, and I was returning after winning the Olympic title for the third successive time. I felt I was certainly above the ordinary when I posed for a picture with Vizzy on the sun deck. Temporarily I felt I was a couple of inches above the earth with my chest bulging out.
These in a nutshell are some of the interesting features of my life, and some of the opinions I have formed during my long career.
Dhyan Chand with 6 other Olympians, 4 of them India Captains like him