Pool A : West Germany, India, Spain, New Zealand, Kenya, Japan
Pool B : Pakistan, Netherlands, England, Belgium, Malaysia, Argentina

India's Match Results :

• Pakistan was forced to field their second XI in the World Cup. An year back, the entire Pakistan team was suspended for disorderly behaviour during the medal ceremony after the 1972 Munich Olympics hockey final. Luckily, the ban was revoked in 1974 only after an apology from the highest level, and after the 13 players in the Olympic final had served the ban for two years. Otherwise the world would have missed the extraordinary skills of Shahnaz Sheikh, Islahuddin and Abdul Rashid.
  
  
• Like the 1971 World Cup, India remained unbeaten in all its pool matches, beating Spain 2-0, Kenya 4-0, Japan 5-0, drawing with New Zealand 1-1, and playing out to a goalless draw against Germany. The performance of Pakistan was also commendable, as they topped their pool with four wins and a draw.
  
  
• Like the 1971 World Cup, and like the 1972 Munich Olympics, India and Pakistan had their third consecutive semi-final meeting, this time in the 1973 World Cup. In this clash of the subcontinental giants, centre-forward Bilimoga Puttaswamy Govinda scored a field goal in the 62nd minute to take India to the finals. Govinda dribbled past four Pakistani defenders, and then reverse-flicked the ball knee high past the goalkeeper Munir Parvez, to score a magnificient goal. Thus did India avenge her defeat to Pakistan in the previous two years. It was a most sporting gesture when members of both teams congratulated and embraced each other after the match.
  
  
• Hosts Holland beat West Germany in the other semi-final by 4 penalty strokes to 2, after 70 minutes of regulation play and 37.5 minutes of extra time produced no result.
  
  
• The final was a show of spectacular hockey, rarely seen in international competitions. The match was hardly 5 minutes old when Ties Kruize converted a penalty corner to put the hosts in the lead. But India quickly hit back through Surjeet Singh, the fearsome penalty corner specialist, who slammed in two goals to put India in the lead. However, Kruize struck again by converting another penalty corner to equalise the score 2-2. Thus did the two teams finish regulation time.
  
  
• India completely dominated the proceedings in extra-time, and a goal was expected any minute. 31 seconds from the end of extra-time, India was awarded a penalty stroke. The whole nation was glued to the radio sets. The radio commentator announced that India was unable to decide on who would take the penalty stroke. It was decided that Govinda would take the stroke, despite him having missed one in the 0-0 draw with West Germany in the league stage. With the World Cup on the line, centre-forward B. P. Govinda missed the most important penalty stroke of his life. The Dutch goalkeeper Sikking made an easy save and the match went into a tie-breaker.
  
  
• In the penalty stroke competition, Govinda once again failed. Harcharan's powerful flick went wide and high. Paul Litjens, Ties Kruize, Zweerts and Taminian coverted for Holland, who became the champions of the world. Ties Kruize top-scored in the tournament with 11 goals.
  
  
• The story of India in the second World Cup was a story of missed penalty strokes. B. P. Govinda failed to convert a penalty stroke against Germany in a pool match, resulting in a 0-0 draw. India did not convert a penalty stroke against Pakistan in the semi-finals, and finally, Govinda did not convert a penalty stroke against Holland, seconds from the end of extra-time in the championship game when the final was deadlocked at 2-2. Poor Govinda also failed in the penalty shootout after extra time.
  
  
• The decline of Asian hockey was now official. An year back, Germany had won the Munich Olympics hockey gold. Now, a year later, Holland won the World Cup. The circle was completed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics when Australia and New Zealand reached the hockey final. A decade later, in the 1986 World Cup, Asian hockey reached its nadir. While Australia and England competed in the final, Pakistan and India played for the last two positions.

Final Standings :

Indian Team :

M. P. Ganesh (captain), Cedric Pereira, Charles Cornelius, Baldev Singh, Surjeet Singh, Michael Kindo, Virender Singh, Ajitpal Singh, Harmeek Singh, V. Bhaskaran, Ashok Kumar, B. P. Govinda, V. J. Philips, Ajit Singh, Harcharan Singh, Chand Singh

Manager : R. S. Gentle; Coaches: Balkrishan Singh and Jagmohan Singh