The London Olympics was the first Olympics held post World War II. It was held after a gap of 12 years, with the previous one being the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The India team that played in the London Olympics was a brand new one, with all the great players from the earlier gold-winning team, including top goal scorer Dhyan Chand, having retired.The captain of the new team was Kishen Lal, with KD Singh (Babu) being the vice-captain. This was the first time when India marched holding the tricolour, as a free nation, in the opening ceremony at the Wembley Stadium. India played its first match against Austria. The Indian team beat the Austrian team hollow, with the scorecard reading 8-0. They went on to defeat Argentina 9-1. India was victorious against Spain in the quarterfinal (2-0) and against Holland in the semi-final (2-1). The final match was played against Britain. Indians took on their former rulers and won in style, defeating the British 4-0.This was the fourth consecutive gold medal for India in the sport, and its first as an independent nation.