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Ajit Pal Singh was an outstanding centre-half of Indian hockey team. Born on April 1, 1947, Ajit Pal hailed from Punjab's Sansarpur village, the hotbed of a generation of legendary Indian hockey players.
Ajit Pal Singh made his international debut in 1966 and the next year he took part in the Pre-Olympic tournament in London and booked his place in the Indian team for the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Despite Indian finishing third, Ajitpal made a fine impression with his precise and flawless ball distribution. He captained the Indian team that played the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
Ajit Pal represented India at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games and captained the team to the 1974 Teheran Asian Games, India emerging second best each time. Ajit's dexterous display earned him a place in the Asian All-Star team in 1974.
The watermark of Ajit Pal Singh's illustrious career was the 1975 World Cup when he led India to their maiden Cup victory with an emphatic win over archrivals Pakistan. The whole country reveled in this magnificent triumph and the victorious team received a rousing welcome.
