The India men's national field hockey team represents

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

in international

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

competitions, and is governed by

Hockey India Hockey India plans, directs and conducts all the activities for both men and women hockey in India. It is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India as the sole body responsible towards promoting Hockey in India. It w ...

. The team was formerly under the control of

Indian Hockey Federation The Indian Hockey Federation was the Indian branch of the International Hockey Federation. Background It was the apex governing body of field hockey in India. It was formed on 7 November 1925 in Gwalior. It was the first non-European team t ...

. India was the first non-European team to be a part of the

International Hockey Federation The Fédération Internationale de Hockey (English: International Hockey Federation), commonly known by the acronym FIH, is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland. ...

. In

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

, the team won its first

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

gold medal and until

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

, the Indian men's team remained unbeaten in the Olympics, winning six gold medals in a row. The team had a 30–0 winning streak during this time, from their first game in 1928 until the

gold medal final which they lost. India also won the World Cup in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. India's hockey team is the most successful team ever in the Olympics, having won a total of eight gold medals – in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort to assassinate Emperor Hir ...

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

. India also has the best overall performance in Olympic history with 83 victories out of the 134 matches played. They have also scored more goals in the Olympics than any other team. They are also the only team ever to win the Olympics without conceding a single goal, having done so in 1928 and 1956. The men in blues are also one of the most successful teams in

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. They have won the

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

three times – in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

. India came out on top in the

Asia Cup The Asian Cricket Council Asia Cup is a men's One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket tournament. It was established in 1983 when the Asian Cricket Council was founded as a measure to promote goodwill between Asian countrie ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

and in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

. India has won 43 out of 56 matches in the Asia Cup and holds the records for most wins and best winning percentage in the competition. They are also the most successful team in the Asian Champions Trophy, winning the competition three times – in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

and in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. In total, India has won 27 official international titles. India is known to have an intense rivalry with

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, with whom they have played in the finals of major tournaments like Olympics, World Cup, Asian Games and Asia Cup. India also have a unique record of beating Pakistan in the finals of all these tournaments.

History

Golden years (1928–1959)

India participated at the Olympics for the first time in

. In the group stage, India beat

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

6–0,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

9–0 and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

5–0 without conceding a single goal. They defeated

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

3–0 in the finals under the captaincy of

Jaipal Singh Munda Jaipal Singh Munda (3 January 1903 – 20 March 1970) was an Indian politician, writer, and sportsman. He was the member of the Constituent Assembly which debated on the new Constitution of the Indian Union. He captained the Indian field hock ...

. India then went on to successfully defend their title at the 1932 Olympics with a 11–1 win over

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

and 24–1 win over USA, in the match against United States

Dhyan Chand Major Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was an Indian field hockey player, widely regarded as one of the greatest field hockey players in history. He was known for his extraordinary ball control and goal-scoring feats, in a ...

hit 8 goals and

Roop Singh Roop Singh Bais (8 September 1908 – 16 December 1977) was an Indian hockey player. He was part of the Indian field hockey team, which won gold medals for India at the 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games. He was the younger brother of Dhyan Chand. ...

scored 10 goals, This is still the largest margin of victory ever in the Olympic games even after all these years. India went on to win their third straight title at the

1936 Olympics 1936 Olympics may refer to: *The 1936 Winter Olympics, which were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany *The 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German language, German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the ...

, this time captained by legendary player Dhyan Chand himself. India stormed through the group stage by winning against Japan 9–0,

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...

4–0 and United States 7–0. In the semi-finals they defeated

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

10–0. The team went on to face

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

in the final. The match was won by India 8–1, it was the only goal India conceded in the whole competition and it still remains the biggest winning margin in an Olympic final. The Indian hockey team that won three successive Olympic titles is often regarded as one of the greatest ever team to play the sport. Indian hockey team Vs Berlin Silberschild Eleven

Indian hockey team Vs Berlin Silberschild Eleven

The

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

caused the cancellation of 1940 and 1944 Olympics, which ended the era of a team that dominated world hockey. In the 1948 Olympics India was placed in group A and won all the three games, an 8–0 win over Austria,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

9–1 and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

2–0. In the final India went on to face

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

, it was the first time India faced them. Great British team has already won the gold medal in 1908 and 1920, so this match was billed as battle of Champions and eventually India won the match 4–0. The result was a sweet one for India, which gained independence from Britain just a year ago. This win is often regarded as the greatest ever moment of Indian field hockey and also all of Indian sports. India went on to win 2 further gold medals in

and

, preserving its record as the most successful and dominant team at that time in the Olympics. In 1952 Olympics quarter-finals India won against Austria 4–0, Great Britain 3–1 in Semi-final and thumped Netherlands by the score of 6–1. The match is famous for the 5 goal magical performance of Balbir Singh Sr.,which is an Olympic record that still stands today. In the 1956 Olympics India defeated

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

14–0, United States 16–0 and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

6–0 in group stage. India defeated Germany 1–0 in semi-final. In the final India faced

and won the match 1–0, which was the beginning of the biggest rivalry in field hockey. India and Pakistan again met each other in 1958 Asian Games and this time the match ended in a 0–0 draw. India also defeated Japan 8–0, South Korea 2–1 and Malaysia 6–0. But Pakistan claimed gold medal in the Asian Games by better average. It was the first time India finished runners-up in an international competition.

Last years of dominance (1960–1980)

At the 1960 Olympics India started its campaign by winning against Denmark 10–0, and Netherlands 4–1, New Zealand 3–0. India defeated Australia and Great Britain in quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. In the final it was the beginning of a new era, for the first time India lost a match at the Olympics, 0–1 loss to Pakistan in the final which ended India's streak of six successive gold medals and 30 matches unbeaten run. Two years later India went on to win another silver medal at the

1962 Asian Games ) , Host city = Jakarta, Indonesia , Nations participating = 17 , Athletes participating = 1,460 , Events = 120 in 13 sports , Opening ceremony = 24 August 1962 , Closing ceremony = 4 September 1962 , ...

. India returned strongly at the

1964 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this h ...

by registering wins against Hong Kong, Belgium, Netherlands, Malaysia and Canada and drawing with Spain and Germany. In the Semi-finals India defeated Australia 3–1, and they won against Pakistan in the final to take their seventh gold medal at the games and also went on to capture their first gold medal in

1966 Asian Games The 1966 Asian Games (), also known as the V Asiad, were a continental multi-sport event that was held from 9 to 20 December 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 142 events in 16 sports were contested by athletes during the games. Taiwan and Isr ...

by defeating Pakistan again in the final. At the

1968 Mexico Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

India started with a loss against New Zealand but won all of their remaining 6 matches against West Germany, Japan, Spain,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

, East Germany, Belgium but India went to a new low, for the first time as they were defeated in the semi-final by Australia but they successfully claimed the bronze medal by beating

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

. At the

1972 Olympics 1972 Olympics refers to both: *1972 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sapporo, Japan *1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 19 ...

also the result was same India started brightly by defeating Great Britain, Australia,

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, New Zealand and Mexico but drew with Netherlands and Poland. They were defeated in the semi-finals by Pakistan. In the Third-place match India defeated the Netherlands to claim bronze medal. India won the bronze medal at the 1971 World Cup by virtue of a win over

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. In the 1973 World Cup India defeated Pakistan in semi-finals, but lost to Netherlands in the final in penalty shoot-out after the match ended in a 2–2 draw. But in the 1975 World Cup India defeated Malaysia in the semi-final before beating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final to claim their first title.In the 1976 Olympics astro-turf hockey pitch was introduced, India struggled to maintain their dominance like they did on grass fields and for the first time ever returned home empty handed. The 1980 Olympics was held in Moscow, India started their campaign with an 18–0 win over

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

followed by a 2–2 draw with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and Spain which were followed by a resounding win over

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

with a margin of 13–0 and win over

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

by a scoreline of 4–2. India later won the gold medal for a record eighth time by defeating Spain in the final by the score of 4–3.

Decline (1981–1997)

After the 1980 Olympics success India's performance declined and the following decades resulted in a lot of ups and downs for the national team. As the team failed to win any medal in the World cup or Olympics, but continued to be a top team in Asia and went on to win several medals in continental competitions. The 1982 World Cup was hosted by India and they finished at 5th position. The team lost to Pakistan in both

1982 Asian Games The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of t ...

final and the inaugural Asia Cup final held in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

.India ended the 80s by winning bronze medal at the

1986 Asian Games The 1986 Asian Games ( ko, 1986년 아시아 경기대회/1986년 아시안 게임, Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 10th Asian Games and the X Asiad ( ko, 제10� ...

and 1982 Champions Trophy and silver medals at the 1985 Asia Cup and 1989 Asia Cup. Their only gold medal success in a big tournament came in the 1985 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. India also went on to win 1991 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and reached finals of 1994 Asia Cup but lost to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in the final. But India later went on to win the 1995 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.

Resurgence (1998–2012)

India won their first continental title after 32 years at the

1998 Asian Games The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games and the XIII Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 ...

by defeating

. The team finished 4th at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''( Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unpreceden ...

. They ended the decade by collecting bronze medal at the 1999 Asia Cup. India started the new millennium by winning the inaugural hockey champions challenge defeating

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

in the final. In

India won their first ever

title by defeating Pakistan in the final. The same year India also clinched the first and only Afro-Asian Games title by defeating Pakistan again in the final. For the First time in their history the team did not win a medal at the Asian Games as they finished fifth at the

2006 Asian Games 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, but India defended their title successfully in the Asia Cup by winning the 2007 Asia Cup. In the final the team conveniently beat South Korea 7–2. It was in 2007 the team slumped to its lowest ever ranking of 12 in

FIH World Rankings The FIH Men's World Ranking is a ranking system for men's national teams in field hockey. The teams of the member nations of International Hockey Federation (FIH), field hockey's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results. The ra ...

. India failed to qualify for

2008 Beijing Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

for the first time. The next Asia Cup tournament in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

proved to be disastrous as the team finished 5th and failed to get any medals. The first time that happened. But the team regained momentum after winning the

2009 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup The 2009 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was the 18th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. It was held in Ipoh, Malaysia from 5 to 12 April 2009. India won the tournament for the fourth time by defeating the hosts Malaysia 3–1 in the final Final, Fin ...

and also became the joint winners in the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

edition. In the

2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

, which was hosted in India, and the team finished on 8th position. In the

2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, ...

which was again hosted by India, the national team reached the final where they were defeated 0–8 by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

in the final, the biggest defeat India ever suffered. India became the first ever champions of the Asian Champions Trophy after they beat Pakistan in the final of the

edition. In 2012 the team finished last at the Olympics as they lost all their matches, it was disappointing given the fact that they are the most successful team ever at the Olympics. India also finished as runners-up at the 2012 Asian Champions Trophy.

2013–present (Olympic comeback)

After the disappointment in Olympics India played at the 2013 Asian Champions Trophy but could only finish at 5th place. The

2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...

became the turning point as the team defeated Pakistan to win their 3rd gold medal. In 2014–15 Hockey World League India won the bronze medal by beating Netherlands. The team reached the finals of

2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy The 2016 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 36th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy for men. It was held between 10 and 17 June 2016 in London, United Kingdom. Australia won the tournament for a record fourteenth time after defeating In ...

but lost to Australia in penalty shootout. But bounced back by winning Asian Champions Trophy in 2016 Asian Champions Trophy by defeating Pakistan and 2017 Asia Cup by defeating Malaysia. The team also won bronze medal at the 2016–17 Hockey World League by defeating Germany 2–1. The

Asian Games proved little disappointing as India was the defending champions as well as the favorites to win but was surprised by Malaysia in semi-final. They later won bronze medal by defeating Pakistan 2–1. The team returned strongly by winning 2018 Asian Champions Trophy and collecting a gold medal at the 2018–19 Men's Hockey Series. India played as hosts in the 2018 Hockey World Cup and reached the quarter-finals but lost to Netherlands. Indian team won bronze in

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

after defeating Germany 5–4. This was a historic win as the Indian Hockey team won a medal in Olympics after a gap of 41 years.

Gallery

File:Indian hockey team 1928 Olympics match.jpg, Match of the Indian team at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. File:Indian hockey team 1932 Olympics match.jpg, Match of India against United States at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. File:Indian-Hockey-Team-Berlin-1936.jpg, The Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. File:Hockey Final—India v. Great Britain at the Empire Stadium, Wembley, Thursday, August 12th. India scoring her third goal.png, India scoring their third goal against Britain at the 1948 London Olympic final. File:The Indian hockey team poses before the XXIV Olympic Games, Seoul.jpg, Indian team in 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. File:Hockey india.jpg, Indian hockey team in 2000s. File:Team India FIH Series finals.jpg, India after winning FIH Hockey Series. File:Indian Hockey team.jpg, Indian field hockey team in 2010s.

Competitive record

Summer Olympics

World Cup

Asian Games

Asia Cup

Asian Champions Trophy

Commonwealth Games

Pro League

Other tournaments

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

South Asian Games

Defunct competitions

World League

Champions Trophy

Champions Challenge

Hockey Series

Afro-Asian Games

Western Asiatic Games

Results and fixtures

2022

2023

Players

Current squad

The following 18 players were named for the 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup. ''Caps updated as of 4 December 2022, after the match against

.''

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up for the national team in the last 12 months.

Support staff

*Head coach: Graham Reid *Analytical coach:

Gregg Clark Gregg Clark (born 11 January 1971 in Johannesburg) is a field hockey player from South Africa, who was a member of the national squad that finished tenth at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was also present at the Atlanta Games in 1996. T ...

*Assistant coach: Shivendra Singh

Notable former players

K. D. Singh Kunwar Digvijay Singh (2 February 1922 – 27 March 1978), popularly known as "Babu", was an Indian field hockey player. He was born in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. He is widely known for his mesmerising passing ability and is considered by ...

* Kishan Lal *

* Richard Allen * Joseph Galibardy * Earnest Goodsir-Cullen * William Goodsir-Cullen * Peter Fernandes *

Leslie Claudius Leslie Walter Claudius (25 March 1927 – 20 December 2012) was an Indian field hockey player from Bilaspur. He studied in South Eastern Railway (Now SECR) English Medium School Bilaspur which has produced many national sportsmen. Leslie Clau ...

* Raghbir Singh Bhola *

Baboo Nimal Baburao Narasappa "Baboo" Nimal (15 March 1908 – 21 February 1998) was an Indian field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German language, German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), offici ...

* Hiranna M. Nimal *

Prithipal Singh Prithipal Singh (28 January 1932 – 20 May 1983) was an Indian field hockey player who played as a halfback. He was a member of the India national team that won a gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and silver and bronze at the 1960 Rome ...

* Balbir Singh, Sr. * Udham Singh * Charanjit Singh *

Shankar Lakshman Honorary Captain Shankar Lakshman (7 July 1933 – 29 April 2006) was an Indian hockey player. He was goalkeeper of the Indian team in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics, that won two gold medals and one silver medal. He was the first goalkeeper ...

* Jaman Lal Sharma * M. P. Ganesh *

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

* Mohammed Shahid * Mohammed Riaz *

Cyril Michie Cyril James Michie (20 August 1900 – 10 November 1966) was an Indian field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was educated at Goethals Memorial School, Kurseong Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Dar ...

* Ajit Pal Singh *

Balbir Singh Kullar Sardar Balbir Singh Kullar (8 August 1942 – 28 February 2020) was an Indian field hockey player and a Punjab Police officer. Alternative spellings of his last name include Khullar. Balbir Singh was born in the Sansarpur village of the Jala ...

* Merwyn Fernandes * Satbir Singh *

Surjit Singh Sardar Surjit Singh Randhawa (10 October 1951 – 6 January 1984) was an Indian field hockey player, who played for India men's national field hockey team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He was a full back and captain of India field hockey t ...

B. P. Govinda Billimoga Puttaswamy Govinda (born 4 March 1951) was an Indian field hockey player who played as a forward, and a former captain of the Indian national team. Career Govinda was considered one of the fastest hockey players during his time and ...

* Zafar Iqbal *

Marcellus Gomes Marcellus Gomes (born 16 January 1961) is an Indian field hockey player. He competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of munic ...

* Jagbir Singh * Thoiba Singh * M. M. Somaya * Vasudevan Baskaran *

Jalaluddin Rizvi Syed Jalaluddin Rizvi is a former field hockey player who represented India in the 1984 Summer Olympics, Los Angeles USA. He is from Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative ...

Pargat Singh Pargat Singh (born 5 March 1965) is a hockey player turned politician in India and belongs to the Indian National Congress in Punjab. He is a former Indian hockey player and his playing position was full back. He captained Indian men's hocke ...

* Dhanraj Pillay * Jude Menezes * Jugraj Singh * Viren Rasquinha * Ignace Tirkey *

Adam Sinclair Adam Antony Sinclair (born 29 February 1984) is an Indian field hockey player and athlete from Tamil Nadu. Among other leading sporting events he was a member of the Indian field hockey team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and at the ...

* Mukesh Kumar *

Arjun Halappa Arjun Halappa (born 13 December 1980) is a professional Indian hockey player and former captain of Indian Hockey Team. Career Midfield maestro Arjun Halappa is the son of former East Bengal Hockey Club player B. K. Halappa, He hails from K ...

* Len Aiyappa *

Devesh Chauhan Devesh Singh Chauhan (born 11 December 1981 in Village Silayta, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh) is a field hockey goalkeeper from India, who made his international debut for the Men's National Team in early 2000. Chauhan represented his native country ...

Adrian D'Souza Adrian Albert D'souza (born 24 March 1984 in Mumbai, Maharashtra) is an Indian field hockey goalkeeper, who made his international debut for the men's national team in January 2004 during the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament in Kuala Lumpu ...

* Gagan Ajit Singh *

Deepak Thakur Deepak Thakur Sonkhla (popularly known as Deepak Thakur) is a hockey forward in Indian team. Family Thakur's father is an ex-serviceman and his mother a house-wife. His younger sister is a national badminton player. Career Junior level Thak ...

* Prabhjot Singh *

Bimal Lakra Bimal Lakra (born 4 May 1980) is a former Indian field hockey player who played as a midfielder for national team. He was part of the team that won the silver medal at the 2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 � ...

Aslam Sher Khan Aslam Sher Khan (born 15 July 1953) is an Indian hockey player and a former member of the Indian team. In the 1975 World Cup held at Kuala Lumpur, Aslam Sher Khan helped Indian Hockey Team to win the gold medal. He was also a member of ...

Ghulam Moinuddin Khanji Ghulam Moinuddin Khanji (22 December 1911 – 13 February 2003) was the ruler of Manavadar State, one of the princely states associated with British India. Although Khanji chose to accede to Pakistan after the partition of India, the state was ...

Baljit Singh Dhillon men's national field hockey team, India , nationalyears1 = 1993–2004 , nationalcaps1 = 327 , nationalgoals1 = 100 Baljit ("Baljeet") Singh Dhillon (born June 18, 1973) is a field hockey midfielder from India, who made ...

Bharat Chettri Bharat Kumar Chettri (born 15 December 1981 in Kalimpong, West Bengal) is an Indian field hockey player. He is the goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team. Career Chettri's professional career in field hockey began after he joined the Sports A ...

Harbinder Singh Harbinder Singh (born 8 July 1943 in Quetta) is a former field hockey player from India. He started his international career in 1961 at the age of 18 years oungest member of the teamwith a tour to New Zealand and Australia with Indian hockey ...

Sandeep Singh Sandeep Singh (born 27 February 1986) is an Indian professional field hockey player from Haryana and an ex-captain of the Indian national hockey team. He generally features as a full back and is a penalty corner specialist for the team. He ...

Sardara Singh Sardara Singh (born 15 July 1986), sometimes referred as Sardar Singh, is an Indian former professional field hockey player and captain of the Indian national team. He usually plays the center half position. Sardara became the youngest player ...

Dilip Tirkey Dilip Tirkey (born 25 November 1977), is a former Indian field hockey player, Politician and Sports Administrator. His former playing position was of full back. He was best known for his penalty corner hit. Dilip was one of the most ...

S. V. Sunil Somwarpet Vittalacharya Sunil (born 6 May 1989) is an Indian professional field hockey player who plays for the Indian national team. He represented India during the 2012 London Olympics and won silver with them at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. ...

* Danish Mujtaba *

Rupinder Pal Singh Rupinder Pal Singh (born 11 November 1990) is a professional field hockey player, who represents India in the Indian Hockey Team. He plays as a fullback and is known for his abilities as one of the best drag flickers in the world. He represe ...

References

External links

*
FIH profile
{{Navboxes , title = Titles , bg = gold , list1 = {{Summer Olympics field hockey men's tournament winners {{FIH Men's Hockey World Cup winners {{Asian Games field hockey men's tournament winners {{Men's AHF Hockey Asia Cup winners {{Men's AHF Asian Champions Trophy winners 1 Asian men's national field hockey teams