15 Facts about Major Dhyan Chand – Hockey ka Jaadugar
When it comes to rank the best player of Hockey that ever lived on this Earth, Major Dhyan Chand is undoubtedly the first name that comes to the mind. Major Dhyan Chand was the legendary Hockey player from India who not only helped India win Olympic Golds but was also the Captain of the Indian side. Major Dhyan Chand is regarded the greatest player and an Olympic hero.
Let us look at 12 interesting facts about this iconic player which made him Hockey ka Jadugar
Click next to see the sport he was interested in
Wrestling
Major Dhyan Chand was initially interested in Wrestling. He loved wrestling and used to do it in his village. It was years later when his interest in Hockey grew stronger and he took it up professionally.
Click next to see his Indian Army Connection
Major Dhyan Chand
Dhyan Chand joined Indian Army at a tender age of 16. It was in the army where he took up Hockey. He retired from the Army with a rank of Major at the age of 56.
Click next to see why ‘Chand’
The Title ‘Chand’
Chand was not originally in the name of Dhyan Chand. He was enthusiastic about Hockey and to better himself, he used to practice it in the night. At his practice coincides with the coming out of the moon. He was named ‘Chand’ (Moon) by his fellow mates.
Click next to see his first Olympics
1928 Amsterdam Olympics
Dhyan Chand played his first Olympics in 1928. He was the leading goal scorer there, scoring 14 goals. A newspaper reported “This is not a game of hockey, but magic. Dhyan Chand is, in fact, the magician of hockey.”
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1932 Los Angeles Olympics
Dhyan Chand was also the leading scorer in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He along with his brother scored 25 goals out of 35 by India. India defeated USA by 24-1 to win the title. This led them to be termed as ‘Hockey twins’.
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1936 Berlin Olympics
Dhyan Chand was the leading scorer in the 1936 Olympics and also the captain of the Indian Team. Despite being defeated by Germany in the practice match, Dhyan Chand along with his side went on to defeat the German Side by 8-1 in the final with Dhyan Chand netting 3 goals.
Click next to see Hitler’s reaction
My Führer
It is said that Hitler was so impressed by Major Dhyan Chand’s performance that he met with him and offered him a position in his army and asked him to play for the Third Reich. Dhyan Chand politely refused the offer. Who would want to play for an eccentric dictator?
Click next to see Dhyan Chand performance as Captain
Tour of New Zealand
In 1935, IHF decided to send the team for 48 match tour to be played in New Zealand, Sri Lanka and India. India won every match. Dhyan Chand was made the captain and he played 43 matches and scored a whopping 201 goals!
Click next to see the Netherland’s reaction on his stick
Checking of Stick
The Hockey authorities in Netherlands once broke his stick to check if there was any glue of magnet! Yes, they did. They couldn’t understand how one player could be so good in dribbling the ball.
Click next to see the Dhyan Chand’s precision
Goal Post Height
In a match when Dhyan Chand was not able to score, he sensed something was wrong. He complained and asked the referee to measure the goal post. As it turns out, he was right! The goal post was not as par with the minimum measurements prescribed internationally.
Click next to see his international Acclaim
International Recognition
Dhyan Chand was internationally recognized played. He was among the 359 Olympic heroes and a tube station in the London Metro was named after him. The greatest cricketer of all time, Don Bradman once said after watching him play “He score goals like runs.” The National Hockey Stadium was renamed after him in 2002.
Click next to see Dhyan Chand’s most memorable match
Brighton Cup 1933
Dhyan Chand’s most memorable Hockey match was the final of Brighton Cup of 1933. The final was played between Calcutta Customs and Jhansi Heroes. This match was won by Dhyan Chand led Jhansi Heroes in which only one goal was scored by a pass from Dhyan Chand.
Click next to see Dhyan Chand’s Career
Career
Dhyan Chand retired from the game in 1948. He played for 22 years (1926- 1948). He scored more than 400 goals and around 101 in Olympics. After that, he published his autobiography titled ‘Goal!’.
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Padma Bhushan
Dhyan Chand was recognized by the Indian Government after independence. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan award in 1955. However, there was a lot of controversy going on in which many support to be awarded a posthumous Bharat Ratna for his contribution to the game.
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Sports Day and Trophy
The birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand is now celebrated as the National Sports Day in India on 29 August. Also, on this day, the lifetime achievement is sports is given to the veteran athletes by the President of India. The Award is also named after this legendary player and is known as Dhyan Chand Award.