With the passing away of the 96-year-old Balbir Singh Dosanjh, one of the last links to the glorious heydeys of Indian hockey have been snapped.
Balbir Sr, as he was popularly called — there were six Balbirs in all who donned the famous light-blue jersey — represented two facets of Indian hockey that have become a scarce commodity in recent decades — artistry and success (in terms of Olympic medals).
As a player Balbir Sr was among the very best that India has produced, next only in stature to the immortal Dhyan Chand, also a centre-forward.
Both won three Olympic gold medals each, the latter in the pre-independence era and the former in the post-. And while the Jhansi juggler scored many more goals in the quadrennial extravaganza, albeit against rookie opposition, the Punjabi powerhouse holds the record for the maximum number of goals in a men’s hockey Olympic final — five out of six against the Netherlands at Helsinki in 1952. Since these two late stalwarts were a bit ahead of my time, I have not seen them play. But I have seen almost all other India spearheads who have followed in their wake.
Going by various reports, both were very skilful and could bamboozle their way through defences like a knife slices through butter. Their artistry has earned encomiums in its time that does not need repeating.
In Harbinder Singh, also a triple Olympian and a gold (1964) and two bronze (1968 and 1972) medalist, the celebrated duo found a worth successor. Speed was Harbinder’s forte, and he possessed adequate skills besides, and he could pick up balls from the centre-line and reach the goalmouth in a jiffy with his dash and pace before bundling the ball into the cage.
In subsequent years, only Balbir Singh Grewal (Railways), the 1968 bronze medalist and scorer of the winning goal that earned India the 1966 Asian Games title, could match up to the task in potential and performance.
Doubling up as both outside-right and centre-forward, the impetuous Balbir was fast, mercurial and unstoppable, winning matches singlehandedly for his side.
There have been some talented sharp shooters who have spearheaded the Indian attack since then, Sukhbir Singh Grewal, Dhanraj Pillay, Jagbir Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh, Shivendra Singh etc, and not necessarily in that order — but they will perforce have to live in the shadows of their more illustrious and ancient predecessors given India’s overall lack of success in the international arena.
