‘I feel we will win the hockey World Cup next year’ | Hockey News
MUMBAI: The Indian hockey team’s Olympic medal-winning performances — back-to-back bronze medals in the 2021 and 2024 Games– have revived the hopes of the hockey fans in the country, including former stalwarts of the game who witnessed years of underachievement following India’s maiden World Cup title 50 years ago in 1975.
Onkar Singh, debutant left-half from that World Cup-winning team, wished that India’s current side emulated the feat at the next World Cup in 2026, to be jointly held in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands.
“I wish the present Indian hockey team, which is looking so good, emulates us. All of us 11 surviving members of the team would like to see another World Cup win in our lifetime,” Onkar said at a ceremony here. “Let’s pray for our team’s success in next year’s World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics.”
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The 77-year-old, the sole surviving Mumbaikar from the team of 1975, was confident that it would be a favourable campaign.
“I feel we will win the World Cup next year. Our team is back to the level where it was at when we won the World Cup in 1975. There was a period in all these years when we weren’t that good, perhaps due to the introduction of the astroturf in the game. However, I don’t believe that playing on the astroturf is much different to playing on grass. I think this team is as fit as we were; supreme fitness was a major reason for our success,” he said.
Also present on the occasion – launch of the book ‘March of Glory: The Story of India’s 1975 World Cup triumph’, co-authored by Errol D’Cruz and K Arumugam — was former India hockey captain and Olympian Viren Rasquinha.
“Kuala Lumpur marks our lone World Cup title in 50 years. It’s also India’s first-ever team World Cup across all sport. The cricket World Cup triumph came eight years later; therefore, every Indian sports lover should cherish hockey’s milestone triumph,” Rasquinha said.
March 15 this year marked 50 years of that victory. Re- membering the campaign, Onkar said, “There was an excellent camaraderie in that team. It was my debut tournament, I was the baby of the team. We had the best defence in the world at that point. Pakistan was known for its world-class forward-line. I wish I could play more for India. However, I feel that I’m lucky to be a gold medallist of India’s only World Cup-winning team.”
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