‘They called me the team’s lucky charm’

Author K Arumugham (left), 1975 Hockey World Cup winner Onkar Singh and former India captain Viren Rasquinha (right) during the book launch of March of Glory: The story of India’s 1975 World Cup hockey triumph in Mumbai yesterday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Indian hockey has raised the bar pretty high with back to back Olympic medals at Tokyo and Paris. However, when it comes to the World Cup stage somehow they have faltered, except for once, and that solitary glory was revisited at the launch of author K Arumugam and journalist Errol D'Cruz's book, March of Glory: The story of India's 1975 World Cup hockey triumph on Thursday. Onkar Singh, the youngest member of that World Cup-winning team in Malaysia, released the book alongside former India captain Viren Rasquinha, at the Mumbai Press Club.

Onkar, who played only one match in that tournament, then regaled the modest gathering on Thursday with anecdotes from that glorious campaign. "I was the youngest member of the team (23) and everyone called me ‘Chotu.' The other players were like my elder brothers, so I was happy to sit out for most of my World Cup debut. Interestingly though, the senior players later told me that I was the team's ‘lucky charm,' said Onkar, 73.

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"Four of our senior players - skipper Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Harcharan Singh and Michael Kindo - were playing their third World Cup. India had narrowly missed out on winning the previous two editions, finishing third in the inaugural 1971 World Cup at Barcelona and runners-up at the next edition in 1973 at Amstelveen, the Netherlands. The players felt the team was unlucky because in Barcelona we lost to Pakistan in the semi-finals after taking the lead, and at Amstelveen we lost via penalty strokes in the final to the hosts. I've always been a very bright and positive person even on the substitutes bench, so the seniors felt that my debut was just the stroke of good luck Team India needed," added Onkar, a skilled left half in his heyday.

"Two other incidents that stand out for me. The hostile crowd when we beat hosts Malaysia in the semi-final. They were baying for our blood, but we played fearlessly; and an emotion-filled skipper Ajit Pal's tears after he visited a mosque with members of the Pakistan team on the eve of the final. That's how badly we wanted to win that World Cup," added Onkar. The veteran defender is happy with the present position of the Indian hockey team. "Consecutive Olympic medals is no mean feat. This team is now right up there like the Olympic glory-winning Indian teams of the past. I hope they can win a World Cup medal next year," Onkar said.

Ajit Pal's words in the book could further boost India hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh & Co as they strive to earn that elusive World Cup title at Belgium-Netherlands next year. "I was privileged to lead a strong and determined team to that 1975 World Cup honour, but it's getting a bit lonely being the only captain to enjoy that good fortune. I yearn for company," Ajit Pal writes in the 204-page book which is full of quotes and anecdotes from past and present players besides having over 250 rare photographs that have been meticulously collected over the years by author Arumugam, a known historian of the game.