Article by Ajay Kamalakaran,
courtesy Scroll
o
the Indian men's hockey team, one of their biggest obstacles in any
major international tournament in the 21st century is a strong
Australian side. The Aussies just seem to have India's number.
But in the first half of the last century, it was India that
was the hockey giant, flicking away Australians at will. An excellent
display of its dominance was in 1935, when a visiting team captained by
the extraordinarily talented Dhyan Chand toured Down Under.
The players sailed off on the steamship SS Largs Bay of the Aberdeen
and Commonwealth Line to Australia and New Zealand, calling on ports on
the way. In Australia, they made several stops to play matches.
From the time the Indian players arrived in Australia, the local
media gushed about their incredible hockey skills, calling them "hockey
rajahs" and "wizards of the twisty sticks." Reporters were mesmerised by
Dhyan Chand's talent and just about every match report heaped admiration
on the Indian captain.
"Chand is slightly built but is tremendously active and has the born
leader's ability to figure out a situation long before it
eventuates," The Referee wrote. "He has the eye of a hawk and the speed
of a greyhound. He showed us how to go clean through a mass of opponents
in their circle, not by hitting like one possessed, but by weaving the
ball through and guarding it by turning his stick from side to side."
In Adelaide, the Indian team went up against the local side at the
Adelaide Oval and, in what was a preview of things to come on the long
tour, won 10-1.
Treated like foreign dignitaries, the visitors from India were
invited to meet South Australia Governor Winston Dugan. At a programme
at the Adelaide mayor's office, locals turned up to meet them. "As the
visitors were filing into the Town Hall to meet the Lord Mayor, Don
Bradman joined the line," The Advertiser reported on May 9, 1935. "He
was soon recognised by the Indians, who shook hands with him.
Amid cheers, Bradman told the gathering that he was glad to welcome
an Indian hockey team, because the members were better exponents of that
game than Australians." He further added, "I hope that this visit will
be the forerunner of a visit of the cricket team from your country."
Throughout the time the Indian team was in New Zealand and Australia,
the media made references to Dhyan Chand as the Bradman of hockey. While
this was appreciated by the Indian players, many of whom were cricket
fans, assistant manager Pankaj Gupta seemed to dislike it, at least on
one occasion.
When the team was in Melbourne, he told The Sun, "I prefer to call
Don Bradman the Dhyan Chand of cricket," Gupta said. "Don Bradman has
been compared with other cricket players, but Dhyan Chand cannot be
compared with any other hockey player."
The 1935 Indian team would go on to play the first ever international
hockey match in Australia.
"Playing with remarkable skill and almost uncanny system, in which
the stickwork of the juggling variety was exploited, the team of India
hockey wizards outclassed the Australian eleven at the Richmond cricket
ground in Melbourne on Saturday in the first international hockey match
ever held in Australia and won by 12 goals to 1," The Age reported on August 19.
"From the bully-off, the ball would be flicked down by the champion,
Dhyan Chand, to his brother, Roop Singh," the newspaper added. "The two
exchanged like tennis players in low or high hits, and banged into the
net past a puzzled custodian. The Australians tried hard, but,
particularly in the early stages, seemed dazed by the importance of the
occasion, and after the first few minutes suffered from the inferiority
complex." Dhyan Chand scored nine goals, while his brother scored three.
This 12-1 loss remains Australia's biggest margin of defeat in field
hockey till date.
At a reception held in Melbourne before their departure, team manager
Behram Doctor said, "We stand at the top of the ladder in hockey, and
you stand at the top of the ladder in cricket. We are very glad that in
Adelaide, the wizard of hockey, our captain Dhyan Chand should meet the
wizard of cricket, Don Bradman."
Amid applause, Bradman and Chand, who were sitting near one another,
rose and shook hands.
While Australia dominated India for decades in cricket, it could not
compete with the country in hockey until the 1968 Olympics in Mexico
City, when it defeated India 2-1 in extra-time and advanced to the
final.
oordarshan
has announced the launch of 'Make It Nine - Indian Hockey Saga,' a
3-part series debuting 12 July, 2024, celebrating India's hockey legacy and comeback.