India in hockey from the late 1920s till the mid-1950s was an unbeatable team. The Indian team even under the British regime as well as an independent country was winning medals at the Olympics very easily.
India from 1928 to 1956 won a gold medal at the Olympics every time. The Indian men’s hockey team has not only won the most title but even has the most consecutive gold medals in the game’s history.
India keeps clean sheets in 1928
When India won its first gold medal in 1928 it was a spectacular performance by the legendary Dhyan Chand. India scored 29 goals in the tournament out of which Dhyan Chand scored 14. Surprisingly it was not Dhyan Chand’s amazing goal-scoring that was the highlight of the tournament but the Indian team’s defence. The Indian team in 5 matches at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands did not concede a goal.
In the group stages, India defeated Austria (6-0), Belgium (9-0), Denmark (5-0) and Switzerland (6-0). Topping their group India qualified for the Gold Medal match where they defeated the hosts Netherlands (3-0).
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During the entire tournament, the team scored 29 goals in five matches and did not concede a single goal. You would think that matching this record would be next to impossible but the Indian team did it again in 1956.
Indian team repeats history in 1956
India was on course to win its sixth consecutive gold medal at the Summer Olympics in 1956. India remained unbeaten in the tournament. But India did not only remain unbeaten but also kept a clean sheet throughout the tournament.
In the group stages, India defeated Afghanistan (14-0), the United States (16-0) and Singapore (6-0). Having topped their group India qualified for the semi-finals where they defeated the United Team of Germany (1-0). For the gold medal match, India met their arch-rivals Pakistan in the finals. India defeated Pakistan (1-0) to win their sixth consecutive gold medal match.
India repeated the historic feat from 1928 as they again did not concede a single goal in the entire tournament.
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