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1962 Asian Games Gold: A story to recall the forgotten heroes!

[caption id="attachment_21897" align="alignnone" width="580"]Chuni Goswami with the winners trophy of 1962 Asian Games. File Pic Chuni Goswami with the winners trophy of 1962 Asian Games. File Pic[/caption] Kolkata: 5th September, 1962. The day is still referred as the last glorious day in the history of Indian football. The day when India defeated South Korea by 2-1 to clinch the historic Asian Games gold at Jakarta 54 years back. Legends like the then Captain Chuni Goswami, PK Banerjee, Jarnail Singh, T Balaram played some stupendous football to write their names on the history pages. Xtratime.in has tried to trace the forgotten heroes of Indian football on this unforgettable day of Indian football history. At first, lets take a look at the squad and the road to the final:

Goalkeepers: Peter Thangaraj (Mohammedan Sporting Club), Prodyut Burman (Railways). Backs: O. Chandrashekar (Bombay), Jarnail Singh (Mohun Bagan AC), Trilok Singh (Services), Arun Ghosh (East Bengal Club), D.M.K. Afzal (Hyderabad City Police). Half Backs: Fortunata A. Franco (ICL-Bengal Club, Bombay), Ram Bahadur (East Bengal Club), Prasanto Sinha (Bengal). Forwards: P.K. Banerjee (Railways), Chuni Goswami (Mohun Bagan AC - CAPTAIN), Tulsidas Balaram (East Bengal Club), Ethiraj (Services), Mohammed Yousuf Khan (Hyderabad City Police), Arumai Nayagam (Mohun Bagan AC). COACH: SYED ABDUL RAHIM (Hyderabad); MANAGER: NURUL AMIN (Assam). RESULTS: Round 1 Group 1 24-Aug-62: India 0-2 South Korea 27-Aug-62: India 2-0 Japan - Goals: P.K. Banerjee, T. Balaram. 30-Aug-62: India 4-1 Thailand - Indian Goals: 2xP.K. Banerjee, Chuni Goswami, T. Balaram. Semifinal 01-Sep-62: India 3-2 South Vietnam - Indian Goals: 2xChuni Goswami, Jarnail Singh. Final: 04-Sep-62: India 2-1 South Korea - Indian Goals: P.K. Banerjee, Jarnail Singh.
Now lets take a tour of the profiles of those legends who led India to the ultimate glory in the big final.
Peter Thangaraj: The Arjuna awardee goalkeeper of that heroic team. Considered as one of the all time greats of Indian football. Played like a wall between the sticks to help India in lifting the trophy. He passed away on 24th November, 2008 at the age of 72.
O Chandrashekar: A brilliant contributor in the back four. A constant threat on the overlaps from the left flank. His role in the semi final and final was absolutely incredible.
Jarnail Singh: The Punjabi from Panam, Hoshiarpur, is still rated to be the most powerful central defender in the history of Indian football. The defender became the star of the show when he scored the winning goal against South Korea in the final to secure that illusive gold. He breathed his last on 13th October 2000 at the age of 64.
Arun Ghosh: A defender who had tremendous anticipation skills in the defense. A remarkable leader in the defensive half. A defender who could terrify any opposition with his tough and immaculate tackles. Surprisingly diminutive in stature but the performer Arun Ghosh was a liveware on the pitch.
Trilok Singh: An outstanding right fullback. Many call him as one of the best Indian fullbacks of all time. He was known for his tough tackling and accurate long balls. An incredible talent on the right.
Franco: Midfielder Franco was known for his exemplary work rate and courage. The Goan midfield genius used to get amazing appreciations from his team mates as well as the spectators who used to turn up every time he used to take the field.
Prashanta Sinha: A leader in the midfield. One of the greatest midfielders of all time in the history of Indian football. He was an outstanding central midfielder who could outsmart any opposition with his captivating individual skills. Many legends pick him in the all time best Indian National Football team.
PK Banerjee: The man who doesn't need any introduction. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest brands of Indian football history. A genuine leader with world class talent. The man scored the highest number of goals for India in the Asian Games 1962. Later, he became the most successful Indian coach in Indian club football as well. The legend is still amongst us and enrich us with rich footballing criticisms.
Yusuf Khan: An utility footballer. An automatic choice for any coach. The legend used to prefer playing in the midfield. A tremendous snatcher and distributor on the heart of the midfield.The ace footballer from Hyderabad passed away on July 1st, 1962.
Chuni Goswami: The captain who led side to the glory. The man who is arguably the greatest Indian ball player of all time. A menace for any foreign team. The attacking genius scored three important goals in that Asian Games campaign. A football pundit these days. with rich footballing analysis.
T Balaram: The famed trio of PK-Chuni-Balaram was by far the greatest indian spearhead of all time. An ineffable ball player and a legend whose contribution in Indian football can never be written off. Balaram was rated to be a silent contributor of Indian football.
Though the players played their heart out to give India the historic gold, but the man who was the mastermind behind that glorious feat, was none other than the great Rahim Saheb, who fought against the deadly disease of cancer and framed himself into the hall of fame of Indian football history.

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