Dhyan Chand

Major

Dhyan Chand
Birth nameDhyan Singh
Nickname(s)The Wizard, The Magician
Born(1905-08-29)29 August 1905[1]
Allahabad, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India
(present-day Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India)
Died3 December 1979(1979-12-03) (aged 74)[2]
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Allegiance British India (1922–1947)
 India (from 1947)
Service / branch British Indian Army
 Indian Army
Years of service1922–1956
Rank Major
Unit1st Brahmans
14th Punjab Regiment
Punjab Regiment
Awards Padma Bhushan (1956)
Field hockey career
Height 169 cm (5 ft 7 in)[3]
Playing position Centre-forward
National team
Years Team Caps Goals
1926–1949 India 185 (570)
Medal record
Men's field hockey
Representing  India
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1928 Amsterdam Team
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles Team
Gold medal – first place 1936 Berlin Team
Western Asiatic Games
Gold medal – first place 1934 Delhi Team

Major Dhyan Chand (29 August 1905 – 3 December 1979) was an Indian field hockey player. He is widely regarded by many as the greatest field hockey player in world history.[4][5][6] He was known for his extraordinary ball control and goal-scoring feats, in addition to earning three Olympic gold medals, in 1928, 1932 and 1936, during an era where India dominated field hockey. Dhyan Chand's influence extended beyond these victories, as India won the field hockey event in seven out of eight Olympics from 1928 to 1964.[7]

Known as The Wizard[8][9] or The Magician[10][11] of hockey for his superb ball control, Chand played internationally from 1926 to 1949, where he scored 570 goals in 185 matches according to his autobiography, Goal,[12][13] and over 1,000 goals in his entire domestic and international career.[14] BBC called him the "hockey's equivalent of Muhammad Ali".[14] The Government of India awarded Chand India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan in 1956.[15] His birthday, 29 August, is celebrated as National Sports Day in India every year. India's highest sporting honour, Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award is named after him.[16]

  1. ^ "Indian hockey's famous legend Dhyan Chand's resume". Mid Day. 3 December 2015. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  2. ^ Dharma Raja, M.K. "Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand Remembered". Press Information Bureau. Government of India. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  3. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Dhyan Chand". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  4. ^ "From Dhyan Chand to Dhanraj Pillay: The best Indian hockey players in history". Olympics. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  5. ^ "India renames highest sporting award after hockey legend Dhyan Chand - Xinhua | English.news.cn". Xinhuanet. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Major Dhyan Chand birth anniversary — Remembering the greatest field hockey player". cnbctv18.com. 29 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  7. ^ "National Sports Day 2021: Remembering India's golden hockey wizard, Major Dhyan Chand". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Find out about India's hockey wizard". bbc.co.uk.
  9. ^ "From Dhyan Chand to Dhanraj Pillay: The best Indian hockey players in history". Olympics.
  10. ^ "National Sports Day: PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to Major Dhyan Chand on birth anniversary". Indian Express. 29 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Dhyan Chand: Great Magician of Hockey". Hindustan Times. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  12. ^ "National Sports Day 2021: Remembering India's golden hockey wizard, Major Dhyan Chand". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  13. ^ ayush.gupta. "Coming soon: A documentary on hockey legend Dhyan Chand". Asianet News Network. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Discover hockey's answer to Pele". bbc.co.uk. 26 February 2004. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).