Former India football captain Chuni Goswami passes away aged 82

Former India football captain Chuni Goswami passed away aged 82 after a prolonged illness in Kolkata on Thursday. 

The captain of the 1962 Asian Games gold-medal winning team, Goswami had also represented Bengal in first-class cricket tournaments.

BCCI mourns the death of Subimal ‘Chuni’ Goswami, an all-rounder in the truest sense. He captained the Indian national football team & led to them to gold in the 1962 Asian Games. He later played first-class cricket for Bengal & guided them to the final of Ranji Trophy in 1971-72 pic.twitter.com/WgXhpoyLaB

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 30, 2020

Goswami was suffering from underlying ailments with sugar, prostate, and nerve problems for the last few months.

Goswami was admitted to a city hospital earlier in the day and breathed his last at 5 pm after cardiac arrest, his family confirmed. 

Under Goswami's captaincy, India had finished runner-up at the Asian Cup in 1964 and narrowly lost to Burma in Mardeka football six months later. 

When it came to club football, Goswami played for Mohun Bagan and during his college days, he captained Calcutta University in both football and cricket.

We’re deeply saddened by the passing of former player and club Legend Sri Subimal (Chuni) Goswami, aged 83.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.

Rest in peace, Chuni Goswami. pic.twitter.com/H7yERNYNLN

— Mohun Bagan (@Mohun_Bagan) April 30, 2020

As for his international career, it started in 1957, and Goswami was one of the biggest stars of the national team. He, however, quit international football in 1964, at the age of 27.

Not just football, Goswami was also successful in cricket. In 1966, he along with Subroto Guha plotted the historic innings defeat of Gary Sobers’ West Indies by the combined Central and East Zone team. Goswami took eight wickets in that fixture.

He was even appointed as the Bengal Ranji Trophy captain in 1971-72 season. Under his captaincy, the team reached the final, before losing against Bombay at the Brabourne Stadium.