Dhyan Chand: 10 Interesting Facts About The Greatest Indian Field Hockey Player

Dhyan Chand Singh, popularly known as Dhyan Chand, will always remain as the greatest field hockey player that India ever had, and it’s not just about Hockey, Dhyan Chand is also regarded as one of the most influential sportsperson that the nation ever produced.

Not only Dhyan Chand took India to new heights in a sport that is the country’s national sport, but he was also one of the most feared players on the field and his goal scoring abilities are still a benchmark for active players, all around the world.

The way he played hockey was so phenomenal that defenders were left confused about what the hell is going on between the ball and this hockey stick as they were never able to decipher where the magic is happening? Moreover, according to reports, there was an instance when Dhyan Chand strike the ball towards the post but it deflected off the pole and the Indian Hockey great, for the legend he was, said that the pole was not in the right position and his strike should have converted into a goal. Guess what!! He was right.

Dhyan Chand played a pivotal role in India’s three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the year 1928, 1932 and 1936, and as destiny would have it, Berlin Olympic Games was to be Dhyan Chand’s third as well as last Olympics, for he had decided to retire at the age of 31, after which the Indian hockey team has only managed 5 golds, the last one being for the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

With his exceptional talent, Dhyan Chand Singh had gained a huge fan base not only in India but all over the world and on his birthday, i.e., 29th August, India celebrates the National Sports day on which the President of India gives awards like Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Awards to Indian players as well as coaches, from every sport.

However, despite being such a person of such huge stature, there are some lesser known yet interesting facts about Dhyan Chand that every Indian should know.

Dhyan Chand: 10 Interesting Facts About The Greatest Indian Field Hockey Player

1. Dhyan Chand joined the Indian Army at just the age of 16 and started playing Hockey while he was still enrolled. Since he used to practice a lot during the night, Dhyan was given the nickname “Chand” by his fellow teammates. ‘Chand’ means the Moon in Hindi.

2. Dhyan Chand became the leading goal-scorer at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics as he scored 14 goals. A reporter, after India’s victory, said “This is not just a game of hockey, but magic. Dhyan Chand is, in fact, the magician of hockey.”

3. Despite Dhyan Chand being involved in many memorable and high-on-action matches, he always said that if anybody would ask him about his best performance, he will unhesitatingly say that it was the final of 1933 Beighton Cup between Calcutta Customs and Jhansi Heroes.

4. During the 1932 Summer Olympics, India defeated the USA by 24-1 and Japan by 11-1. While Dhyan Chand scored 12 goals, his brother Roop Singh scored 13 times out of the 35 goals that India scored, which led to them being marked as the ‘hockey twins’.

5. Once, Dhyan Chand was unable to score a single goal in a match and he argued with the match referee that the measurement of the goal post were not right. To everybody’s amazement, the goal post was found to be in violation of the official minimum width prescribed in international rules.

6. After India won the first match at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, people who were watching other events rushed to the hockey stadium and a German newspaper even carried a banner which headlined: ‘The Olympic complex now has a magic show too.’ Posters stating: “Visit the hockey stadium to watch the Indian magician Dhyan Chand in action.” covered the whole city of Berlin.

7. There were reports stating that, German dictator Adolf Hitler once offered Dhyan Chand the citizenship of Germany as well as a position in the German Military, as he was impressed with Dhyan Chand’s performance at the Berlin Olympics. The offer, as expected, was declined by the Indian magician.

8. In 1935, Australian Cricket Great Don Bradman met Dhyan Chand for the first time at Adelaide and after the Indian magician play, Bradman said, “He scores goals like runs in cricket”.

9. In his career, which spanned over 22 years (1926-48), Dhyan Chand scored more than 400 goals.

10. His capabilities on the field were so remarkable that Netherlands’ Hockey authorities once broke Dhyan Chand’s hockey stick to check whether there was a magnet inside.

Almost everyone knows about the greatness of Major Dhyan Chand Singh but did you know about the above interesting facts about the Indian Hockey Wizard? If Yes, then how many of them.

Share your score in the comment section below and let’s see who wins!!