The Autobiography of Balbir Singh (Senior)
By Samuel Banerjee, Vikas Publishers, 1977
| Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 |
 |
Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 |
World Champions! |
35 minutes to glory: in these wondrous, many splendoured
moments of magic, India got right back where she belonged - on top of the
hockey world.
It would be pleasant to dwell on India's magnificent 2-1 victory over Pakistan and relive every moment of that epic struggle for supremacy, a real hockey classic. The final was the ultimate test of skill, speed, stamina, mental and physical conditioning. |
|||||
| Page 7 | Page 8 | Page 9 | Page 10 | Page 11 | Page 12 | |
akistan
had beaten India in the 1971 World Cup, but lost to India in the 1973 World Cup.
Whose turn would it be in this third successive meeting of the Asian giants in
the World Cup?
The 1975 World Cup final was played on March 15, 1975. Pakistan had ample rest, having played their semi-final on March 12. India played their semi-final against Malaysia on March 14, and had to play the final the next day. Before the game, many anticipated Pakistan would win.
Recapturing India's moment of glory, seasoned journalist Ron Hendricks, who covered the World Cup tournament for Indian Express, wrote the following piece for Khalid Ansari's Sportsweek Annual:
"Thirty-five minutes to glory: in these wondrous, many splendoured moments of magic, India provided the frosting for the cake baked in the fiery furnace of Kuala Lumpur, and got right back where she belonged - on top of the hockey world.
It would be pleasant to dwell on India's magnificent 2-1 victory over Pakistan and relive every moment of that epic struggle for supremacy, a real hockey classic. The final was the ultimate test of skill, speed, stamina, mental and physical conditioning. India seemed to have reserved their best form for the final.
The morning was spent in visiting a church, a temple, a gurudwara and a mosque: a reminder of the secular nature of our society and the composition of our team. The first 35 minutes were tense - our boys forgot Philips on the right flank and failed to probe the main weakness in the Pakistan defence. And it was Pakistan that shot into the lead in the first half.
But a pep talk during the interval breathed new life into our boys. Pakistan were bewitched, bothered, bewildered and beaten fair and square by two goals to one."
The game-winner came in the 51st minute. Harcharan, who had a brilliant match, centred after dodging two defenders. The ball went through to right-extreme Philips, who hoodwinked a defender and passed on to Ashok at the top of the circle.
Ashok pushed the ball home. It sailed past the Pakistani goalkeeper. The Pakistanis protested that the ball had not crossed the goal-line. Vijayanathan, a senior and seasoned umpire, checked the decision again and confirmed his decision. India were in the lead.
In the closing stages, a free-hit in India's 25 yard line saw Islahuddin go past a defender and enter the Indian circle. Islah scooped the ball towards the Indian goal. Young goalkeeper Ashok Dewan dived full length to bring off a brilliant save.
The match was over. India was once again on the top in world hockey. After the final, our boys thought of Pakistan's Samiullah, who had fractured his collar-bone in the first half. Our team went to his room to wish him speedy recovery. Gifts and souvenirs were presented to him as a token of love and goodwill.
Ajitpal Singh on top of the world