A song, 10 men, golden finish: Harbinder relives India's 1966 Asiad victory

Harbinder Singh recalls India's 1966 Asian Games hockey triumph, when a stirring song inspired a 10-man side to secure the team's memorable gold-medal victory.

Sixty years after India scripted hockey history at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, Harbinder Singh still gets goosebumps when he hears the song that became the team's companion on its journey to gold.

"Whenever we went to a match, Shankar Laxman (India goalkeeper at that time) would play 'Watan ki raah mein watan ke naujawan shaheed ho' in the team bus, and all the players would sing along. This would automatically motivate us," the 83-year-old three-time Olympic medallist told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"Even today, when I hear this song, I get goosebumps," he added.

It also became a galvanising force before their Asian Games final against arch foes Pakistan, a match that India won to bring home their first ever gold at the continental showpiece.

The song and the final remain etched in the memory of the legendary centre-forward, who was also a part of India's 1964 Tokyo Olympics gold-winning team.