Former football legend and cricketer Chuni Goswami passes away

Chuni Goswami, the legendary Indian footballer, passed away on Thursday, April 30 at the age of 82 after a prolonged illness. The Kolkata-born was the captain of the Indian team which won the gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games. Under his leadership, the national side also got home the silver medal in the 1964 Asia Cup. He retired after making 50 appearances for India.

The enigmatic character also used to ply his trade for Mohun Bagan in club football. Over the last months, the veteran was suffering from ailments with prostate, sugar and nerve problems as per reports in Sportstar. His family confirmed that Goswami was admitted to the hospital earlier in the day after which he breathed his last at 5 PM following a cardiac arrest.

Chuni Goswami- an effective cricketer as well

Apart from football, Goswami weaved his magic even on the cricket field. He started his cricket career late and concentrated on it after hanging his boots from football in 1964 at the age of 27. In the 1971-72 season, he was appointed as the captain of the Bengal Ranji team. Under his captaincy, Bengal made the final of the first-class event against Bombay.

However, Bengal lost the match at the Brabourne Stadium. In 1966 at Indore, he and Subroto Guha strategized the historic innings defeat of the West Indies, led by Sir Garfield Sobers. In that game, he played for the combined Central and East Zone team, captained by Hanumant Singh. Goswami managed to pick up as many as eight wickets in the encounter.

In his first-class career, Goswami played a major role with both bat and ball. In 46 matches, he could manage 1,592 runs at an average of 28.42 with one century and seven half-centuries to show for his efforts. With his medium pace, he picked up 47 wickets with a five-wicket haul. In his college days, he had the privilege of captaining the Calcutta University in both football and cricket.

Along with Goswami, India has lost two of its priceless gems in the form of Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor in the last 24 hours or so. The entire country has mourned the death of the colossal figures and put forth how they made an impact on a lot of people in their careers.