New Delhi:

A joint statement issued following delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his visiting New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon here Monday reads: “The leaders noted that India and New Zealand enjoy close sporting links, particularly in cricket, hockey and other Olympic sports.

They welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on Sports to foster greater sporting engagement and collaboration between countries. They also welcomed the ‘Sporting Unity’ events planned in 2026, to recognise and celebrate 100 years of sporting contact between India and New Zealand.”

Following the talks, the two sides also signed a memorandum of cooperation in sports between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India and Sport New Zealand of the Government of New Zealand.

In 1926, an Indian hockey team, featuring the legendary Dhyan Chand, stormed through New Zealand, winning hearts and matches with jaw-dropping stickwork and unstoppable attacks. A hundred years later, the echoes of that historic tour still linger, inspiring India and New Zealand to declare 2026 as the ‘Sporting Unity’ year.

“Be it cricket, hockey or mountaineering, the two countries have a long-standing relationship in sports,” Modi said while jointly addressing the media with Luxon following the discussions. “Along with coaching and exchange of players in sports, we have also emphasised cooperation in sports science, psychology and medicine. And in the year 2026, it has been decided to celebrate 100 years of sports relations between the two countries.”

The announcement comes after India defeated New Zealand in the final of this year’s Champions Trophy cricket tournament in Dubai earlier this month.

“I would really like to appreciate the Prime Minister (Modi) for not raising the loss of New Zealand to India in the recent game in Dubai,” Luxon jocularly remarked during his address drawing laughter from Modi and the gathering that included New Zealand cricketing greats Ross Taylor and Indian-origin Ajaz Patel.

Luxon said that in 2026, the two countries will mark 100 years of sporting relationships.

“And it is entirely appropriate that we celebrate this milestone, including a visit by the Indian men’s cricket team (to New Zealand) in November 2026,” he stated.

During the early 20th century, field hockey was emerging as a dominant sport in India under British colonial influence. The Indian hockey team was gaining recognition for its exceptional skills, and the 1926 tour of New Zealand was one of the first major international tours by an Indian team.

The Sporting Unity year announced by the two sides harks back to the Indian hockey team’s hugely successful tour of New Zealand in 1926. The Indian hockey team’s tour of New Zealand was a landmark event in the history of international sports, marking one of the earliest connections between the two countries through hockey. This tour not only showcased India’s dominance in the sport but also played a crucial role in strengthening the sporting ties between the two nations.

This tour was significant because it marked one of the first overseas ventures by an Indian hockey team. It featured the legendary Dhyan Chand, who would later be regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. It laid the foundation for India’s golden era in hockey, which would later lead to multiple Olympic gold medals.

Of the 21 matches the team, officially called the Indian Army Hockey Team, played in New Zealand, it won 18, drawing two and losing one.

In an article on the stick2hockey.com website, hockey historian Diljit Singh Bahra recalls that the Indian team’s tour was planned in 1925 well before the formation of the Indian Hockey Federation.

“Field Marshall William Riddell Birdwood, Commander in Chief in India (1925–1930), who had commanded the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) for much of the First World War, facilitated the Indian Army Hockey Team tour of New Zealand in 1926,” writes Bahra. “Birdwood had toured Australia and New Zealand in 1920 to wide public acclaim.”

According to Bahra, once the invitation to tour by the New Zealand Hockey Association (NZHA) was accepted, preliminary trials were held at Rawalpindi during the Army Hockey Championship and at Jhelum during the Punjab Native Army Hockey Tournament.

“The selected players were sent down to Lahore, where the final choices were made by Colonel Bruce Turnbull, Captain Cowan and Mr Ritchie (who was the coach of the Punjab team),” writes the historian.

The team of 17, led by captain David Tenant Cowan MC, widely known as “Punch” Cowan, included four English officers, one Sikh officer and 12 Indian soldiers.

Here is the list of the members of the team as mentioned by Bahar in his article: Captain DT Cowan MC (captain) (1st Battalion, 6th Gurkha Rifles); Captain HV Cox (2nd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment); Captain E. Belchamber (1st Battalion, 11 Sikh Regiment); Captain LA Alexander (1st Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles); Jemadar Lal Singh (92nd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment); Naik Ghulan Ali (1st Battalion, 4th Hazara Pioneers); Naik Thakar Singh (1st Battalion, 4th Prince of Wales’s Own Gurkha Rifles); Naik Lal Shah (1st Battalion, 4th Hazara Pioneers); L/Naik Dhian Singh (2nd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment); L/Naik Susai Nathan (Queen Victoria’s own Madras Sappers and Miners); L/Naik Kishana Singh (2nd Battalion, 17th Dogra Regiment); Sepoy Manu Swami (Queen Victoria’s own Madras Sappers and Miners); Sepoy Dhyan Chand (4th Battalion, 1st Punjab Regiment); Sepoy Sangara Singh (2nd Battalion, 13th Frontier Force Rifles); Sepoy Jaginder Singh (2nd Battalion, 8th Punjab Regiment); Fitter Fakir Chand (Royal Army Service Corps (MT); and Fitter H Francis (Royal Army Service Corps (MT).

Bahra notes in detail how the team assembled in Kolkata (then Calcutta) before setting sail April 11, 1926. On stopovers during the voyage, the Indian Army team beat the Ceylon Light Infantry Team and the Colombo Gymkhana Club in Sri Lanka, the Melbourne University and Australian Army in Australia before arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, on May 11, 1926.

“The Indian Army team attracted unprecedented numbers of spectators at hockey matches they played during the tour,” writes Bahra. “The team played 21 matches in New Zealand, won 18, lost one and drew two. They scored 192 goals and conceded only 24.”

The tour played a crucial role in bringing Dhyan Chand into the global spotlight. His dribbling skills, speed, and goal-scoring ability were unmatched, and he quickly became a sensation in New Zealand. His performances on this tour set the stage for his legendary Olympic feats in the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Olympic Games.

Now, in 2026, India and New Zealand will honour this legacy with the ‘Sporting Unity’ year, celebrating 100 years of competition, camaraderie, and cross-continental sporting excellence.

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