Dhyan Chand Biography, Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Facts, Caste, Wiki & More

Dhyan Chand is a field hockey player from India. He is widely considered as one of the all-time greatest field hockey players in the world. His birthday is celebrated as National Sports Day in India.

 

This forward player was also called ‘The Wizard’ for his outstanding control over the ball. Having scored over 400 goals in his international career, he played his last international match in 1948. At the age of 16, Chand joined the Indian Army. This is where he developed an interest in the game. He used to practice under the moonlight after his duty hours, for which he got the name ‘Chand’ by his fellow mates as in Chand means Moon in Hindi. Initially, he only took part in the army Hockey tournaments. His major breakthrough came when he was selected into the squad that toured New Zealand, where it won 18 matches, lost one and drew two, and gained widespread appreciation from the spectators. On returning to India, he got a promotion to Lance Naik. He was also selected as the center- forward for the Indian National Team that had to take part in the Olympic Games Amsterdam in 1928. Chand showed phenomenal performance throughout the tournament and helped India to win its first Olympic Gold Medal. This success story of this ‘Magician of Hockey’ continued as he again played pivotal roles in India’s Gold Medal campaigns in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games and 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. He retired from the army with a Major rank.

 

He was honored with the Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India. He is the only Hockey Player to have a stamp in his honor. His autobiography ‘Goal!’ was released in 1952. In a decorated career that he had, he scored 570 goals in 185 matches that he played for British India and was a part of the team that won the Olympic medal thrice.