A decade later, International hockey returns to the iconic Dhyan Chand Stadium

New Delhi: The typical Delhi evening mist engulfed the skies as the Indian men's hockey team wrapped up their final practice session on the night ahead of the two-match test series against Olympic silver medalists Germany starting Wednesday.

The sidelines were abuzz with last-minute preparations. Giant speakers were being positioned and readied for the two-day event.

Needless to say, the media was present as well. And the Indian players were the cynosure of every eye present.

The preparations marked the return of international hockey to the capital city of New Delhi and the iconic Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium after a wait of ten years.

The last time the National Stadium hosted an international hockey game was during the 2014 Hockey World League Final which was won by the Netherlands.

A stadium with legacy and history

Named after one of the greatest field hockey players Major Dhyan Chand, the stadium was part of some of the earliest work done by the architect Edwin Lutyens.

The stadium was the venue for the first-ever Asian Games in 1951 and was the venue for the 1982 Asian Games with hockey being an integral part of it.

It was also the venue for the 2010 Commonwealth Games which was the last time India hosted a multi-sport tournament.

The stadium is located in one of the best locations in New Delhi overlooking the Old Fort on the rear and the famous India Gate on the front side.

While occasional domestic tournaments of hockey were conducted here including the Inter-Departmental or age-group tournaments, the stadium lacked international hockey as the nucleus of the sport in the country moved to Odisha.

"Hockey was there in Delhi but there was a lack of international hockey in the stadium. It is a welcome move to have hockey in the capital city," Hockey historian K. Arumugam told The Bridge.

Mixed results for India

While the stadium has a history spanning over six decades, it hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the Indian men's team with some of the most infamous losses coming at the same stadium.

In 1982, the Asian Games held the capital city in a vice-like grip.

The hype and excitement though were reserved for the men’s hockey final.

The fans were ready to pay 10x the price for an INR 50 ticket and VVIPs like Amitabh Bachchan were present in the stadium.

But the 7-1 loss to arch-rivals Pakistan in front of the home crowd led to the infamous moment when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi walked away after Pakistan scored five goals.

"It hasn't been a happy hunting ground for India for some reason. The 1982 Asiads were one of the fiascos and then in Commonwealth Games, Australia defeated India 8-0," veteran hockey journalist Sundeep Misra recalled, who witnessed the 1982 Asian Games final as a student.

Such was the influx of crowd that despite 25,000 spectators packing the stadium, more than 8,000 extra chairs had been placed in the space between the stands and the pitch.

"I traveled to National Stadium from Rourkela as a 10th-grade student. The stadium was packed with people and a lot more were outside to witness the sport of hockey," he added.

But apart from 1982 and 2010, India does have good memories at the stadium with the 2010 World Cup where arch-rivals Pakistan were outplayed by the hosts 4-1 with current assistant coach of the team Shivendra Singh opening the scoring.

Also, the Indian women's hockey team, coached by MK Kaushik won their first-ever Asia Cup title in 2004 with 16-year-old Jasjeet Kaur Handa scoring the only goal in the final.

As the Indian men's team gears up to face Germany in this much-anticipated series, the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium stands as a testament to the ebbs and flow of Indian hockey.

While it is uncertain if these two games will translate to the stadium returning to become a regular feature in the national hockey calendar, it does serve as a reminder of a bygone era, one that is packed with glory, infamy, and an unparalleled legacy for the sport in the country.