A team we Indians never knew about
When we think of dominance, at least in sports, what comes to mind? The Australian cricket team of the 2000s, Michael Phelps, and the Brazilian football team of the 1960s are some of the players and teams we may think of. However, let me tell you about one Indian team that dominated a sport in a way that no other team could ever dream of matching. No, I am not talking about cricket—I am talking about hockey. The Indian hockey team of the 20th century set a new standard for dominance. We won six consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, and 1956—a streak that could have been even longer if the 1940 and 1944 Olympics had not been cancelled. For 52 years, India won a medal at every Olympics except one. We had legends whom the hockey world will remember forever. One of them was Major Dhyan Chand, who won three Olympic gold medals, scored around 400 international goals, and has one of India’s biggest sporting awards, the Dhyan Chand Award, named after him. Leslie Clau...