Islahuddin Siddique, one of the legendary figures of Pakistan hockey, recently reached a landmark when he celebrated his 75th birthday. Islahuddin belonged to the golden generation of Pakistan’s hockey history and led the green-shirts to many outstanding victories. When Islahuddin was at his peak, he and his teammates such as Samiullah Khan and Shahnaz Sheikh, playing with superb speed and precision, could cut through rival defences as swiftly and cleanly as a knife cutting through butter. They were the inspirations for the heroes who emerged later such as Hassan Sardar and Shahbaz Ahmed.
Sadly, the Pakistan team which has won the World Cup for a record four victories, is not taking part in the ongoing World Cup that is now happening in Bhubaneswar because the team failed to qualify for the event. There was a time when undivided India was the superpower of world hockey. Its domination was without parallel. Three times in succession, undivided India won the Olympic Games gold medal. In the 1932 Olympics, India defeated the USA by an astonishing margin of 24-1. This is a world record that still remains unbroken.
But the giant who could not be vanquished on the hockey field was brought to its knees by the politics of partition. The division of India drastically slashed the strength of the world’s most powerful team. It was only after the division of India that the rise of the Europe began.
Although Islahuddin played between 1967 and 1978, the hockey lovers of the world could still get glimpses of the old skill and finesse of sub-continental hockey. Islahuddin was capped 130 times and scored 137 goals. He won the silver medal in the 1972 summer Olympics at Munich, and a bronze in the 1976 Olympics at Montreal. He was also a member of the team that won the 1971 World Cup under the captaincy of Khalid Mehmood in Barcelona.
Later Islahuddin himself was appointed captain of Pakistan and led the team in the 1975 World Cup where his men finished as runners up. In 1978 they romped home to win the Gold once again. Twice Islahuddin and his men won the gold medal at the Asian Games and his leadership was hailed by all experts of the game. His ability to visualize the game a few moves ahead of his rivals made him one of the most dangerous players in the world.
One of Islahuddin Siddique’s greatest achievements was leading his team to a grand slam in 1978 in which Pakistan won all three prestigious titles namely the Asian Games, World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Today, in his cupboard there is an impressive collection of trophies and medals. His awe inspiring tally consists of 10 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. In 1982, Islahuddin was honoured by the Government of Pakistan with the “Pride of Performance” award for his exceptional contributions in the field of hockey.
As manager of the Pakistan team, he returned to India after a long time and visited Meerut which was the city of his birth. He also came to Hyderabad when Pakistan played against India at the police hockey stadium in Begumpet. His suave personality, intricate knowledge of hockey and its history were his greatest assets as a manager and coach. His soft spoken manners and charming smile made him a darling of the local media.
To aspiring young hockey players of Hyderabad he advised: “Never take your opponent lightly. Give respect to your opponent players or you will never be able to rise in your sport. Get rid of your ego. That too is a very big handicap. It is only when you are always willing to learn, not only from your own coach but also from the moves of your opponents, that you will be able to conquer the world.” One hopes that his words will be heeded and put into practice by the present generation.
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