SSC
India won its first (and so far only) Hockey World Cup title in:
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Answer: Option B — 1975
Detailed Solution
India won the men's Hockey World Cup in 1975, at the third edition of the tournament, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the final on 15 March 1975, India defeated its arch-rival Pakistan 2-1. Surjit Singh scored the first goal from a penalty corner, and Ashok Kumar, the son of the hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, scored the winning goal. The team was captained by Ajit Pal Singh, and the coach was Balbir Singh Senior.
This remains India's only Hockey World Cup title so far.
History of the Hockey World Cup:
It is organised by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), whose headquarters is in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The idea was proposed by Air Marshal Nur Khan of Pakistan, and the first edition was held in 1971 in Barcelona, Spain. Pakistan won it.
India's results: bronze in 1971, silver in 1973 (Amstelveen, lost to the Netherlands on penalty strokes), and gold in 1975.
Pakistan has won it four times (the most), followed by the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and Belgium.
India has hosted the World Cup in 1982 (Bombay), 2010 (New Delhi), 2018 (Bhubaneswar) and 2023 (Bhubaneswar and Rourkela). Belgium won in 2018 and Germany in 2023.
The Women's Hockey World Cup began in 1974. India's best finish was fourth place in 1974.
Other Indian hockey milestones:
- India won eight Olympic gold medals in hockey (1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980).
- India won bronze medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1971 was the first World Cup, in Barcelona, where India won bronze.
- ✗1982 was the World Cup hosted by Bombay.
- ✗1973 was the World Cup where India won silver.
Quick tip
Remember: India's only Hockey World Cup = 1975, Kuala Lumpur, beat Pakistan 2-1 (Ashok Kumar's winner, captain Ajit Pal Singh); first WC = 1971 Barcelona (Pakistan won).
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Sports — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Sports, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers sports GK: major tournaments and their venues, trophies and cups associated with each sport, sports terms, the number of players in a team, sports awards in India, Olympic and Asian Games facts, and famous sportspersons and their achievements. Common questions ask which sport a trophy belongs to (such as the Durand Cup for football or the Ranji Trophy for cricket), which term is used in which sport, and where a tournament was held. Records and results change after every season, so pair static facts such as team sizes and terms with recent results from current affairs. Practise the sports questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.