New Delhi: Today is the golden jubilee anniversary of India’s only hockey World Cup win in a widely watched match against Pakistan. Fifty years ago, hockey coach Balbir Singh was the driving force behind the 1975 World Cup win by the Indian men’s hockey team at the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) tournament.
Considered one of the greatest hockey center-forwards and one of India’s hockey legends, such as Dhyan Chand, Balbir Singh was a three-time Olympics gold medalist, securing India’s wins in London (1948), Helsinki (1952), and Melbourne (1956). His Olympic record of making the most goals in a match still stands today. Hailing from Punjab, Balbir Singh passed away in 2020.
In this 2014 ‘Walk the Talk’ interview with Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta, Balbir Singh discussed his life, career and nationalism, the 1975 World Cup and team players, and his hopes for a resurgence of hockey.
SG: Who is the greatest Indian sportsperson ever? I don’t want to argue and you can’t fight with Sachin Tendulkar, his reputation and his supporters, or the great Dhyan Chand, and his reputation and his supporters. But here is somebody, a little bit forgotten in India, sadly, who’s been acknowledged by the International Olympic Committee… In fact, he has been listed among the 16 greatest icons in the Olympic Games in a 100 years across all disciplines. He is an Indian, his name is Mr Balbir Singh and he has won three Olympic gold medals.
BS: Thank you. You have given me a new life.
SG: You have given so much joy and skill to so many Indians. And sir, three Olympic gold medals — 1948, 1952, 1956 — and an unbroken world record for the largest number of goals in a final, 52 at Helsinki.
BS: It’s all thanks to the Tricolour. I played for my country. I played for that flag. After every win, to see the flag fluttering and to hear the national anthem — it was really something special. It is something that has to be experienced, not something to be seen or told, but to be experienced. Your team has won, your national flag is going up in the sky, and the national anthem is being sung—something really sweet.
SG: Three gold medals, yes, but you also have a World Cup to your name. In 1975. You were the chief coach and manager of the Indian team, the only team that won the World Cup. And once again, that same feeling…the flag going up and the national anthem being played.
BS: The national anthem and the national flag instill that spirit in you. You must win for the country, for that flag.
SG: I knew you when I was in Chandigarh, that was more than three decades ago. We were all fans of yours. But I saw you last year when India played the qualifiers against France and I could see that you were the most animated person in the audience.
BS: I am always for the Indian team. When an Indian team goes to Vancouver, and when I am there with my sons, I always cheer for the Indian team. And when the people of Vancouver ask me, I say, ‘Balbir Singh anywhere, Indian hockey first’. Indian hockey has given me this name and fame. India has given me this name and fame. I am always for India. I will die as an Indian. It’s my will.
SG: You are the fittest person in his 90th year.
BS: Thank you. It’s all thanks to well-wishers like you.
SG: I know you sleep with a hockey stick by your side. I saw it lying by your bedside.
BS: It is always there because what I am today is because of Indian hockey, that hockey stick and our national flag. That is the symbol of our sovereignty.
SG: Sir, you were one of the greatest center-forwards in the history of the game, and I believe you did not start as a forward.
BS: You called me the greatest, but well, that’s history. I am one of the ordinary players.
SG: You started as the goalkeeper.
BS: I started as a goalkeeper.
SG: In Lahore?
BS: In Moga. My father was a hostel warden there and our house was three-four yards away from the hockey ground. Sitting at the front door, I used to watch the Indian hockey team play. I started as a goal keeper, then became a full-back. A cousin of mine used to stay with us. One day he was playing a local tournament and he came with two senior full-backs and said, ‘From today, you are forward’, and I said, ‘Forward? Where should I play?’. He said ‘center-forward’. And from then on, I have always been center-forward. Thanks to the Indian flag, thanks to India. Always center-forward. World says No.1, but I was one of the ordinary players at that time.
SG: I believe there used to be a jugalbandi with your inside-right.
BS: Yes. I used to give a pass and go forward. If he gives me back, shoot.
SG: Inside-right is what in common parlance is known as right-in.
BS: Yes, right-in.
SG: Who was your favourite player in 1948?
BS: In 1948, there was Babu, who was inside-right, and he was my captain in 1952. Before that, Maqbool Hashmat, who was in Khalsa College, was another brilliant inside-right. We used to play on a gravel ground in Gwalior and Bhopal. You need to control yourself because it is very slippery and still beat the opponent. It is difficult. Once I completely bruised my knee in Gwalior, yet we won the match. The Maharaja of Gwalior used to come and see the match, and later take us kids to his palace for dinner.
SG: Sir, can I borrow your stick and feel honoured? I can say I held the same stick as Sardar Balbir Singh. In fact, we have had so many Balbir Singhs who played for India that we had to label them. You are Balbir Singh Senior…
BS: Then there is Balbir Services, Balbir Police, Balbir Railways.
SG: People got confused with so many Balbirs—Balbir Singh and Balbir Singh and Balbir Singh and Balbir Singh.
BS: In one of the Asian Games, I think there were three playing together — right-half, right-in and right-out. Balbir Singh, Balbir Singh and Balbir Singh.
SG: Can you talk about that match in 1952 when you scored five goals in the [Olympics] final, which is also a Guinness record? Your record has stood since 1952. No one has scored five goals in a final, and it doesn’t seem likely either.
BS: That’s what people think, that this record will never be broken. But I really wish an Indian player breaks my record. Mazaa aa jayega.
SG: I saw you during that match against France, you were like a teenager.
BS: When the team wins… when I visit my sons in Vancouver, I always celebrate every time my team wins.
SG: You have an international family, one of your daughters-in-law is Chinese, from Hong Kong, one is Singaporean, and there is a Ukranian. But you are completely Indian.
BS: Lal topi Russi, par dil hai Hindustani. It has always been like that. This heart is Indian.
SG: Tell us about that final in which you scored five goals. How was that? It’s such a tense situation.
BS: The enthusiasm then was something else. The team always played with a strong spirit and enthusiasm. I used to practise a lot with a tennis ball between two narrow walls in my house, and the speed of a tennis ball which comes at you very fast helped sharpen my reflexes. The practice helped me become very decisive and sharpen my judgment, and be accurate inside the striking circle.
SG: But sir, if you look at players these days, when they enter the striking circle, they always look to hit the feet of their opponents in order to win a penalty corner.
BS: They always look for an excuse to find the penalty corner. The fun is when you hit a goal. The penalty corner is an excuse to hit a goal. If you are talented and you reach the D, you need to beat two or three defenders in the circle. Your practice levels need to be so high that you can hit the goal from anywhere you aim.
SG: Did you believe in first-time hitting or did you believe in dribbling close to the goal?
BS: I have always preferred shooting first time because the goalkeeper is not ready. If you dribble, it’s difficult because you need more time and defenders cover you and it becomes difficult. But players dribble too much these days and they always pass on to someone else. They then look out for an opening and then aim for the goal.
SG: Game has become very fast. Is astro-turf good or bad for India?
BS: For the Indian style of hockey, for dribblers, astro-turf is very good. Earlier, the grounds used to be so uneven that you needed to have really good ball control. Where do you learn ball control? In Europe, they had heavier grounds, which were slippery. In India, with gravel fields, ball control comes automatically the more you play on these grounds. We had an advantage there that we played on gravel grounds. Now, there are indoor grounds.
SG: These days, the grounds are perfect, all-weather.
BS: In our times, stopping the ball was a problem with all that uneven bounce. There was even a chance of getting hit on the face, you need to dodge them, but now these grounds are great.
SG: Injuries have also lessened.
BS: Significantly. And the game too has become more fair.
SG: Has whistling lessened in the game?
BS: In our times, referees whistled a lot more. It was stricter. It is now more an open and uninterrupted game. It has become very fast.
SG: Obstructions too have almost vanished. There is no no offside, no turning.
BS: All of that has vanished. Even if your foot hits the midfield, they declare an advantage.
SG: But is it a good thing for hockey?
BS: It is good. People come to see a free flowing game of hockey, and for an interesting game. If there is constant whistling and stoppages, it is not very good.
SG: People say that this has worked badly for India, that sub-continental hockey has suffered. Do you buy that?
BS: I don’t believe that. If you have the talent and if the ground is good, you should be able to hit the ball in the circle. In the midfield, you can turn wherever you want.
SG: So it is not true that India and Pakistan have suffered because of astro-turf and new rules. It is just an excuse?
BS: Yes, that is an excuse. For us, it has been beneficial because ball control is better, stick work is better. We have the skills and our stick work is great. You need it all in the striking circle. You need to dodge in the penalty area that is where the real work lies.
SG: Others are just drama…
BS: Yes, gallery show.
SG: People compare you with Dhyan Chand.
BS: Dhyan Chand was my role model.
SG: Your autobiography Golden Hat Trick also mentions it.
BS: Yes. I have written about it in my autobiography as well.
SG: When it was published, I was a cub reporter.
BS: Dhyan Chand was 20 years older to me. I always used to touch his feet and revere him. He was man of such high integrity—gentle and kind. I learnt a lot from him. His integrity, his work ethic… As a forward, I copied his tricks on the field. I used to copy him and tried to do better than him. When I used to play as a goal keeper, he used to play center-forward, and I always hoped to be like him.
SG: The center-forward is the key, main fighter pilot.
BS: Yes, the spearhead. You receive the ball always. If you have the skill, you can score a lot of goals.
SG: The pivot then is the center-half.
BS: Yes, indeed. I really respect Dhyan Chand a lot.
SG: I have heard that Dhyan Chand’s hockey stick was once broken to see if there was a magnet in it to make the ball stick.
BS: People started saying the same thing about my hockey stick.
SG: Break it and see?
BS: They did it to mine too. But these are all made-up stories. They make up these stories to hurt people… People used to say such things about (Dhyan Chand). I said that is all wrong. There are more such stories among the religious too. Sikhs also talked about superstitions, and I would say there is nothing like that.
SG: Yes, Sikhism is against superstition.
BS: Dhyan Chand was a good man and that is why people respect him, and not because he had some magic trick.
SG: Now there are stories about your Olympic teammate Milkha Singh. You went to Melbourne together.
BS: Yes, there are a lot of stories. You can create stories for a movie, but like they say, truth is great, but greater still is truthfulness.
SG: You remember those stories?
BS: I do remember. I won’t speak anything about him. It is not good on my part.
SG: Please tell us something, any one incident.
BS: Once we were in a train together. There was a board, stating the capacity of the coach. He immediately woke up his wife, and said, “Nimmi, wake up, we have now gone past Delhi, and we are now at ‘Capacity’!”
SG: He will not mind it, he is very happy to laugh.
BS: He was my colleague. He used to spend his time playing golf.
I went to the department of sports and, at times, I feel that my life could have been better had I been with the police. When I had left the police, my uncle told me, ‘You have made a big mistake. You are like that Jat who lost his head and sold his buffalo to buy a mare. Now instead of having milk to drink and ghee to eat, all you can do is shovel horse dung. Why leave the police job and spend your time playing hockey?’.
He felt my life could have become better had I stayed on with the police. When I left the police, they were angry. There was Ian Fletcher, the seniormost ICS officer. Nobody had the guts to talk to him. Not even the commissioner. But I used to go, unafraid. That is why I was held in high esteem…
SG: Punjab has produced great Olympians like yourself, Milkha Singh and, I would say, the equally talented Randhawa.
BS: Yes, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa. He came at No. 5. His feat was great because he was very technical.
SG: But what happened to Punjab after that? Where has all that talent gone?
BS: Drugs have destroyed careers. In olden times, it was common to feed opium to the children of those against whom you wish to seek revenge.
SG: Like the English did to the Chinese.
BS: Yes, make them addicts.
SG: Do you think that is the main cause for Punjab’s decline in sports?
BS: This is the single biggest reason for Punjab’s decline in sports. This is one of the most important issues, and if the drug scourge is controlled, there can be a resurgence of sports in Punjab.
SG: Your strength is that you don’t complain, you are very positive. You don’t complain about astro-turf and modern rules. In fact, you won India a World Cup on astro-turf in 1975, in the age of modern hockey. Tell us about that.
BS: The preparatory camp for the World Cup had been set up on Panjab University campus, where we were given every facility. I was the chief coach and manager then. However, within the first few days of the camp, my father passed away. I took a day’s leave for the cremation and completed his last rites only after winning the World Cup.
SG: It is believed that India has not seen a team like the one you assembled in 1975. I mean, we haven’t had full-backs like Surjit Singh and Michael Kindo. They were so cool headed. And then there was Ajit Pal Singh as the centre-half. He was the captain too. And at the front line-up you had Shivaji Pawar, V.J. Phillips, H.J.S. Chimni…
BS: Since I was the chief coach, the director of the camp, if I wanted, I could have assembled a team of only Punjabis. But the country comes first.
SG: And I believe you told all your players to think of the team as an Army regiment.
BS: I had even set up a common prayer. Also coined a new slogan: Jo bole so hai, Bharat mata ki jai. The new slogan was important because I wanted to ensure that the team had a pan-India presence to it. The kids (players) also liked it. And we put up a united front. That was the time my wife was unwell, she was in coma… Because I had stayed with teams before, I knew that the boys used to sneak out at night. So, to control that situation, I asked the hotel management to allot us a separate wing. I would place my chair at the entrance and guard the wing to ensure no one went out at night.
SG: During the World Cup, the defenders—Surjit and Michael—were the team’s strong points. They were like a fortress. Always cool and composed and with perfect recovery of the ball. And yet, in the final match, you brought in Aslam Sher Khan and he scored a penalty.
BS: We brought in Aslam because I was slightly worried that with the Pakistanis abusing players, there was a chance that Kindo may get scared. Also, if I hadn’t let Aslam play, it would have seemed the decision was taken because he is a Muslim.
SG: In fact, this was the same thing that happened with Inam-ur-Rehman, one of our finest forwards.
BS: Yes, exactly. I wanted him to play. Before the match, I went with Aslam to the Royal Mosque in Kuala Lumpur where he offered namaz. Once the namaz was over, the qazi came to us and said, ‘You are a Sikh, and yet you are in a mosque.’ I told him that I am a follower of Guru Nanak, and according to him, there is only one god who is everywhere. So the qazi blessed us with success. When we turned around, the Pakistan team had lined up to offer their prayers. After we won, some of my friends in the (Pakistan) team joked that we won because we had prayed to god before them. After the win, my wife was discharged from hospital. When she came home, I handed her the trophy and she was very proud.
SG: Tell us something more about that team.
BS: Ajit Pal was the captain and he performed very well.
SG: Yes, in fact, he married India’s greatest woman basketball player, Kiran Grewal.
BS: Virender (Singh) was the right-half of Railways. Phillips was right-out, Munshi left-out—unfortunately, he has passed away—and Ashok Kumar, Dhyan Chand’s son, was at the centre. I had asked Ashok not to carry the ball at all. I told him that if he dribbled, I would throw him out and Dada’s (Dhyan Chand) reputation would be tarnished. I asked him to dodge and pass. And he even scored a goal.
SG: He had scored from a rather tough angle.
BS: Yes, it was a very good goal. It is important to keep the players pumped up and enthusiastic. Also, before leaving for the World Cup, Mrs Gandhi had asked if I would be able to take care of the team. She wanted to ensure that I wouldn’t get involved in (hockey) politics and control the team. I assured her that I would (take care of the team).
SG: It is the same old story with Indian hockey. The Indian Hockey Federation and Hockey India still run the sport. How do you feel about that?
BS: It is rather unfortunate that there are two groups. I always request them to come together as one. It will be good for the country and for the team. I request them to come together and help each other.
SG: The state of hockey is very poor. This is Chandigarh, so you still see a few children taking interest. When we were children studying in Punjab, it was necessary to carry hockey sticks to school, irrespective of whether we knew how to play. And now, Delhi University has removed the game from its sports quota. How do you feel about that?
BS: It is very unfortunate. Once, I had gone to Amritsar from Chandigarh to receive someone at the border. And there was not a single person or child who had a hockey stick in his hand. Everyone was playing cricket. I want our country to do well in cricket, it is everyone’s favourite game. But when we lose in hockey, it hurts me.
SG: In the modern-day game, drag-flicks are being used increasingly to score goals. What is your take on that?
BS: In my time, there was no drag-flicking. However, I used to stop the ball myself and shoot in the same motion for long corners. I was known for the technique.
SG: But these days, in the drag-flick, the ball rises high and also moves at a great speed. Don’t you think it is unfair?
BS: The goal keeper is protected, wears a helmet. But if the ball hits any other player, there could be serious injuries.
SG: The ball moves at over 200 km per hour.
BS: Yes, very dangerous.
SG: This is almost one-and-a-half times as Mitchell Johnson bowling at his fastest. And with no helmets…
BS: Yes, either everybody wears protective gear or they devise a technique for drag-flicks. Players should learn how to dodge the goalie and score.
SG: When you watch matches these days, do you get scared—that somebody does a drag flick, the ball hits a player and proves fatal?
BS: It’s more dangerous than a cricket ball… Yes, it’s like a bullet.
SG: Do you think the Hockey India League is good for Indian hockey?
BS: The Indian League is good for the players. The more practice they get, the better it is. They are getting to play a lot of matches, getting to play with international players.
SG: And they are being paid. At least they won’t have to clean stables to make money.
BS: I have come up with a revival hockey scheme. You should have a look at it. I have tried to contact the minister of sports (for the scheme), but he hasn’t given me an appointment yet. He could be a royal, I am an ordinary man with an idea for the game.
SG: No one is more royal than you are. You have three Olympic gold medals and a world record to your name. The world record has lasted 61 years… Also, you have Indian flag in your heart and hockey in your mind.
BS: Balbirs come, Balbirs go, India stays forever.
SG: You are three years older than Mr L.K. Advani and fitter than him. And you are always so positive. How do you manage that?
BS: It is all thanks to my well-wishers. When people wish me well, it makes me stronger and keeps me going. You interviewed me today and spoke well of me. This will add five years to my life.
SG: So then we must interview you again on your 100th birthday. Hopefully, by then, India will have won another medal.
BS: Well, it is necessary for India to win a medal now. When I had gone to London, people there praised me and my team a lot. They asked me if India would win a medal. As much as I wanted it to win the gold, I knew the team was not in a state to do so. I had prayed for the team to finish at least fifth or sixth. I would have been very happy. But they finished twelfth. Also, the foreign coaches are very good. I am not against them.
SG: But you think they are overqualified?
BS: I feel our players are not at that level where they can benefit from foreign coaches, not up to that standard. (Foreign coaches) are overqualified for us.
SG: I know exactly what you are talking about. I had interviewed Ric Charlesworth on this show. He left a frustrated man. The players too were frustrated with him.
BS: Exactly. Ideally, the foreign coaches should teach the Indian coaches. Often, the players don’t understand what the foreign coaches are trying to say, because of the language barrier. If they can’t understand the language, how will they benefit from the coaching? That is why it is important that the players are coached in a language that they understand.
SG: So our next conversation will either be when India wins a medal, or when you turn 100.
BS: With well-wishers like you…
SG: I am a fan.
BS: Right now, I am at that stage in life, what we in hockey call ‘extra time’. The golden goal, the final stage, is yet to come. My opponent at the golden goal is the Almighty and I can’t stop him from scoring the golden goal.
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