Introduced by British regiments, hockey thrived in India, and the national team's reign began with an Olympic gold in 1928. So here are some of the facts you should know.
1
The arrival of British regiments in India club was established in Calcutta in 1885-86, followed by Bombay and Punjab.
2
The Bengal Hockey Association was formed in 1908, becoming India's first official hockey body, in other regions like Bombay, Bihar, Orissa.
3
This period marked India's dominance in international hockey. India's first Olympic gold medal came in 1928 at the Amsterdam Games.
4
This era witnessed India scoring a phenomenal 178 goals while conceding only 7 in their winning streak of 24 matches.
5
After the 1960 Rome Olympics, where India lost to Pakistan in the finals, the team's performance dipped.
6
The Indian government and Hockey India are constantly working towards improving infrastructure and training facilities.
7
The sport is seeing a rise in technical finesse and competition from European and Asian countries.