Reliving India's Historic 1975 World Cup Win

It was 50 years ago that India won—some argue—its most valuable hockey trophy, in the Kuala Lumpur World Cup.

- Arun Janardhan

It was 50 years ago that India won—some argue—its most valuable hockey trophy, in the Kuala Lumpur World Cup. That underappreciated title—overshadowed by the more glamorous Olympic Games, and weakened by the diminishing importance of the sport itself—recently got a little bit of the limelight through a book.

On 15 March 1975, India beat Pakistan in the final at KL for its first and last World Cup trophy. It was the last time the two teams met in the final of a major tournament, the last time India reached the semi-final of this marquee event. It was India's penultimate appearance in the final of a global competition (the 1980 Moscow Olympics being the last). As India's prowess as a hockey power declined following the 1975 win, owing largely to the rise of Europe and Australia and the change of surface from natural grass to artificial turf, that historic World Cup crown has achieved further significance in India's hockey history.

March of Glory: The Story of India's 1975 World Cup Hockey Triumph, by Errol D'Cruz and K Arumugam, attempts to be the definitive account of that unprecedented success. Built through narratives from the surviving members of the team that led India to the title, most of them in their 70s now, through old newspaper clippings, remembrances of staccato radio commentary, some grainy videos and memory, March of Glory brings to life that one-and-a-half-month period when the Indian team dodged multiple hurdles to score on the big stage.