There is an old saying that if you grab a finger, then you hold your hand full. Balbir Singh Sr., a great hockey player and a great goalscorer was also like this. A great player who puts the ball in the goalpost from anywhere. This excellent captain was part of the Indian team that won the Olympic gold medal three times. Balbir Singh Sr. breathed his last at the age of 96 on Monday. He was part of the sworn generation of India that won Olympic gold medals in 1948, 1952, 1956. Apart from this, he also won the gold in the Asia Cup in 1956. Balbir Singh was the second player to remain alive so far from the 48 members of the Olympic team. After him, there is only one person alive from this team and that is Keshav Dutt. Olympic gold medalist and former India defender Gurbaksh Singh told IANS, "You can remember him as one of India's great goalscorers."
Gurbaksh played with Balbir Singh in his early days. 84-year-old Gurbaksh told that Balbir used to give very little chance to the opposition player, but was always calm on the field. Gurbaksh said, "He was a hero at the time. Balbir would not have spoken much, but he rarely lost his temper. His ability to score was excellent. He used to hit very fast. He did not dribble much but on half occasions. He used to convert it into goals.
Balbir holds the record for most goals scored in Olympic finals. He scored five goals in the 1952 Olympic Games gold medal match played against the Netherlands. This match was won by India 6–1. His record has not been broken yet. In his Olympic debut in 1948, he scored six goals against Argentina. This is also a record. Whenever he was with the team, whether as a player or as a coach, India always won the podium. As a coach, he got India the only World Cup in 1975 and also won a bronze medal in the World Cup in 1971. In 1957, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri. Today, when he is no longer in this world, the grief of the heart of sports lovers can be clearly seen on social media. From the country's Prime Minister and the Home Minister to other politicians are also paying tribute to him. Balbir was born on December 31, 1923 in Haripur Khalsa, Punjab. He is survived by daughter Sushbir Bhomia, sons Kanwalbir and Gurbir.
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