The first player ever to score a
hat-trick (three or more goals in a match) for
India in an international
football match was
R. Lumsden. He achieved the feat in an
officialfriendly match against
Australia on 24 September 1938, at the
Sydney Showground, although India lost the match 4–5. This is the only instance when India have lost a game in which a player scored a hat-trick for the team. Lumsden was the only footballer to score a hat-trick for India before
independence.[1][2][3] Since independence in 1947, eleven Indian players have scored a hat-trick in an international football match. No Indian player has ever scored more than three goals in a single game. The first player after independence to score a hat-trick for India was
Sheoo Mewalal in a 4–0 victory over
Burma in the 1952
Colombo Quadrangular Tournament.[3][4]
K. Appalaraju and
Sunil Chhetri are the only Indian footballers to have scored a hat-trick more than once. Appalaraju achieved the feat twice in the
two-legged tie against
Ceylon during the
1964 Olympic Qualifiers. Chhetri has achieved the feat
four times, the latest of which came in India's 4–0 victory over
Pakistan in the opening match of the
2023 SAFF Championship.[3][5][6] This is also the most recent instance of an Indian player scoring a hat-trick in an international football match. Chhetri's first hat-trick came in the final of the
2008 AFC Challenge Cup against
Tajikistan, which helped India not only to win the cup but also to qualify directly for the
AFC Asian Cup in
2011, the first time in 27 years that the team reached the final tournament.[7][8][9]
Neville D'Souza was the first Asian to score a hat-trick in the history of
Olympic football. He achieved the feat in a 4–2 victory over Australia at the
1956 Melbourne Olympics.[10][11][12] With four goals in three matches, he not only finished the tournament as joint top-scorer but also helped India become the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.[13][14][15]Shabbir Ali scored the fastest hat-trick for the national team.[16][17] He achieved the feat in a 3−1 victory over
Indonesia on 16 August 1976, at the
1976 Merdeka Tournament. His goals came at the 7th, 33rd and 35th minutes of the match.[18]
^King, Ian; Di Maggio, Roberto.
"Asian Nations Cup 2011". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
^"Zambia beat India". AIFF. 29 November 2011.
Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
The first player ever to score a
hat-trick (three or more goals in a match) for
India in an international
football match was
R. Lumsden. He achieved the feat in an
officialfriendly match against
Australia on 24 September 1938, at the
Sydney Showground, although India lost the match 4–5. This is the only instance when India have lost a game in which a player scored a hat-trick for the team. Lumsden was the only footballer to score a hat-trick for India before
independence.[1][2][3] Since independence in 1947, eleven Indian players have scored a hat-trick in an international football match. No Indian player has ever scored more than three goals in a single game. The first player after independence to score a hat-trick for India was
Sheoo Mewalal in a 4–0 victory over
Burma in the 1952
Colombo Quadrangular Tournament.[3][4]
K. Appalaraju and
Sunil Chhetri are the only Indian footballers to have scored a hat-trick more than once. Appalaraju achieved the feat twice in the
two-legged tie against
Ceylon during the
1964 Olympic Qualifiers. Chhetri has achieved the feat
four times, the latest of which came in India's 4–0 victory over
Pakistan in the opening match of the
2023 SAFF Championship.[3][5][6] This is also the most recent instance of an Indian player scoring a hat-trick in an international football match. Chhetri's first hat-trick came in the final of the
2008 AFC Challenge Cup against
Tajikistan, which helped India not only to win the cup but also to qualify directly for the
AFC Asian Cup in
2011, the first time in 27 years that the team reached the final tournament.[7][8][9]
Neville D'Souza was the first Asian to score a hat-trick in the history of
Olympic football. He achieved the feat in a 4–2 victory over Australia at the
1956 Melbourne Olympics.[10][11][12] With four goals in three matches, he not only finished the tournament as joint top-scorer but also helped India become the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.[13][14][15]Shabbir Ali scored the fastest hat-trick for the national team.[16][17] He achieved the feat in a 3−1 victory over
Indonesia on 16 August 1976, at the
1976 Merdeka Tournament. His goals came at the 7th, 33rd and 35th minutes of the match.[18]
^King, Ian; Di Maggio, Roberto.
"Asian Nations Cup 2011". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.
Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
^"Zambia beat India". AIFF. 29 November 2011.
Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.