Opinion T Balaram: A striker for the books

With the passing of the legendary Tulsidas Balaram, aged 86, Indian football has lost another key link to its glory years. Together with P K Banerjee and Chuni Goswami, who died in a space of a couple of months in 2020, Balaram propelled India to heights it can only dream of today. They were the fulcrum of the Indian team that was among the finest in Asia then and frequently punched above its weight in the world — a fourth-place finish at the 1956 Olympics, a gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games, runners-up at the prestigious Merdeka Cup were among the team’s achievements.

To a generation of fans, who readily consumes international football but barely bothers about local players, it’s hard not to overstate Balaram’s achievements and the impact he, along with Goswami and Banerjee, had on the national team under the visionary coach Syed Abdul Rahim. Goswami was all flair, Banerjee was a combination of brawn and brain, and Balaram wowed the stands with his pace and inventiveness. From 1958 to 1962, India won 12 out of the 16 games in which they played together. In the same period, the Balaram-Banerjee-Goswami trio scored 20 out of India’s 36 goals: During the triumphant Asian Games campaign in 1962, they were responsible for nine of the 11 goals India scored.

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The golden era is a reminder of how far Indian football has fallen behind. The Balarams and the Banerjees did not play on lush fields, nor did they take home fat pay cheques. But they kept Indian football relevant on a global stage. The new All India Football Federation management has promised to revive some of the prominent domestic tournaments as well as take part in competitions like the Merdeka Cup. It might not lead to an immediate turn of fortunes but at least it will be a step in the right direction to protect the legacy of the true heroes of Indian football.