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Who was the first goalkeeper to become the captain of an international hockey team?

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Answer: Option C — Shankar Lakshman

Detailed Solution

Shankar Lakshman, the famous Indian hockey goalkeeper, is widely regarded as the first goalkeeper to captain an international hockey team. He captained the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, beating Pakistan 1-0 in the final.

More about Shankar Lakshman (1933-2006):

  • He was born in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, and served in the Indian Army (Maratha Light Infantry), rising to the rank of Captain (honorary).
  • He was India's goalkeeper at three Olympics: 1956 Melbourne (gold), 1960 Rome (silver) and 1964 Tokyo (gold).
  • He was known for his agility and courage; he was so reliable that he was described as a "wall" in goal.
  • He received the Arjuna Award (1964) and the Padma Shri (1967).
  • He spent his last years in poverty, which drew attention to the poor treatment of retired sportspersons in India.

Other famous Indian hockey goalkeepers:

  • R. Sreejesh from Kerala, called the "Great Wall of India", was a key member of the teams that won Olympic bronze medals in 2020 (Tokyo) and 2024 (Paris). He also captained the Indian team (2016). He received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021 and the Padma Bhushan in 2025. After retiring, he became a junior team coach.
  • Savita Punia, the goalkeeper of the women's team, has also served as captain.

Other Indian hockey captains:

Leslie Claudius: played in three Olympic golds (1948, 1952 and 1956) and a silver (1960); he captained India at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Balbir Singh Sr.: captained India to gold at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. He holds the record for the most goals by an individual in an Olympic men's hockey final (5 goals vs Netherlands, 1952).

Ajit Pal Singh: captain of the 1975 World Cup-winning team.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗R. Sreejesh captained India much later, in the 2010s.
  • ✗Leslie Claudius was a half-back (midfielder), not a goalkeeper.
  • ✗Balbir Singh Sr. was a centre-forward, not a goalkeeper.

Quick tip

Remember: Shankar Lakshman = first goalkeeper to captain an international hockey team (1966 Asian Games gold); Olympics 1956 gold, 1960 silver, 1964 gold; P. R. Sreejesh = "Great Wall of India".

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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.

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