It was the 1975 Hockey World Cup when India last secured a podium finish by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the finals, which has been the country’s only men’s world cup trophy to date.
India's Hockey History
Though India dominated the sport in the Olympics until Moscow 1980, the World Cup before the 1980s was Pakistan’s forte but Indians were regular finalists, adding spice to the tournaments with the off-field rivalry.
However after 1975, the Indian team couldn’t even make it to the semi-finals of the prestigious event. One of the reasons for Team India’s poor performance as per sports experts, was the advent of AstroTurf.
