India's dashing forward of the 70s, Ashok Kumar, gave his list of 10 All-Time Greats of Indian Hockey. Predictably topping the list was the Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand, his father. The photo below and the accompanying text are taken from the inaugural issue of Pargat Singh's Inside Hockey - Asia's first hockey magazine.
Flashback to the hockey final of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The Indian team started without Dhyan Chand, who was not feeling well. At the break, India was leading only 1-0. The second half saw Dhyan Chand enter the field, playing barefoot. Dhyan Chand tore apart the German defence as India scored seven more goals in the second half. The final scoreline: India 8, Germany 1. India had won its third consecutive gold medal.
What a player my father was! He had mastered the art of scoring from any angle. His placing, scooping and subtle deflections on the crosses from the flanks were just out of the world. It was said that give 10 scoring chances to Dhyan Chand, and he would have the scoreline read 10-0. As a player, I don't think anybody would even come close to what Dhyan Chand was all about.
