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On a dream come true
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Hockey champion Ashok Kumar speaks of his moments of glory at the World Cup final three decades ago
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Photo: Satish. H
EXACTLY 30 years ago, Ashok Kumar, son of hockey legend Dhyan Chand, scripted what continues to be the most memorable moment in Indian hockey, outside Olympics. He scored the match-winner against Pakistan in the 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup final — the only World Cup title-triumph for Indians till date. A feat, which assures him a place in the Indian hockey's `Hall of Fame'.
This 56-year-old gentleman's face lights up when the talk veers around that famous goal. Now in the city, as the Indian Airlines coach in the ongoing Senior Nationals for Rangaswamy Cup, he remarked: "How can I forget? It was a dream come true for us and continues to be a dream for the current Indian team too to win another World Cup."
"It was the culmination of a wonderful move by Ajitpal Singh. And when I got the opportunity, I flicked, in the goalmouth melee that ensued, from close range into the triangular portion of the goalpost only to see the ball deflect back into play. Umpire Vijayanathan delayed to declare it a goal for a few seconds causing confusion. But, once he realised it was a goal and signalled rightly, it triggered celebrations for our 2-1 win," recalls Ashok Kumar. "It was a fantastic and unforgettable moment. But, the credit should go to the entire team" he adds.
During his father's golden era, he reminds us, the entire Indian team was together only before the Olympics every four years. "But, look at their fitness levels, skills and the series of Olympic Golds. Now you see almost every alternate month there is a camp and still the results are not encouraging. There is something wrong somewhere," he says.
Late Dhyan Chand virtually desisted his sons, Ashok Kumar and Raj Kumar, from playing hockey for long. "For reasons best known to him, he was always against us playing hockey. So, we used to dodge him at home, slip through the backdoor and play the sport. As time progressed, he was less adamant on this count," says Ashok Kumar.
Of record and influence
He has a unique record too — playing with as many as 12 centre-forwards during his decade-long international career which culminated in 1980. And Ashok Kumar insists that his legendary father never had any influence on his game.
Due to the demise of Dhyan Chand, he missed the Moscow Olympics when India picked the gold for the last time. "Well, the IHF never had a history of treating the players with the respect they deserve. After completing the formalities on my father's demise, I informed them that I would be available for the Moscow Games. But, they just ignored me," says a dejected Ashok who strongly feels the absence of an Olympic medal in his collection. Commenting on the near-empty stands at the ongoing Senior National venues in the city, the hockey great of yesteryears reminds that the soul and the spirit of the game are missing. "Something drastic should be done to restore the original pride for the national game," he signed off.
V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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