New Delhi: Distinguished former India football captain Subimal ‘Chuni’ Goswami, who also played in first-class cricket tournaments for Bengal, passed away in Kolkata on Thursday. He was 82.
He had been suffering from several illnesses, including sugar, prostrate and nerve problems, for a long time, reported PTI.
The Hindu‘s Sportstar has reported that he was admitted to a Kolkata hospital earlier on Thursday and breathed his last at 5 pm, following a cardiac arrest.
Chuni Goswami’s credentials: As cricketer, he led Bengal to the 71/72 Ranji final. In football, captained India to Asian Games gold in 1962. He was later sheriff of Calcutta. Rumour has it, Tottenham Hotspurs nearly signed him. A great Indian sportsman and pride of Bengal. #RIP pic.twitter.com/72EIqGaTpy
— Sreshth Shah (@sreshthx) April 30, 2020
Goswami, born in Kishoreganj of what is now Bangladesh, had the unique distinction of playing at Mohun Bagan football club – one of the three big teams of Kolkata – for nearly the entirety of his career. Goswami joined Bagan’s junior team at the age of eight, before India won its Independence, and played for the club for more than 20 years, till 1968.
In 1957, Goswami first represented India – a team he would go on to captain as it won gold at the 1962 Asian Games and finished as runner-up at the Asian Cup and Merdeka Cup in 1964.
In the same team was P.K. Banerjee and Tulsidas Balaram. Together the three formed a force of inspiration that Indian football would count on for years to come.
Chuni Goswami, P.K. Banerjee and Tulsidas Balaram. Photo: Twitter/@kaustav7947
As Jaydeep Basu wrote on Scroll.in, Goswami’s decision to retire from football after what was quite simply an unforgettable career in the sport had little to do with an impediment in the game. By the time it was 1968, Goswami was simply ready to focus exclusively on to the other sport that captured Indian imagination – cricket.
For the Bengal cricket team, Goswami was an all-rounder to bank on. A right arm fast medium bowler and a right handed batsman, between 1962 and 1973, he played 46 first class matches and led Bengal to a Ranji Trophy final.
Goswami was an Arjuna and Padma Shri awardee. On his birthday in January this year, India Post announced a postal stamp in his honour.
Chuni Goswami at the India Post stamp announcement ceremony. Photo: Twitter