The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mourned the passing away of former Bengal cricketer and football legend, Chuni Goswami, following a cardiac arrest. 82-year-old Goswami was admitted to a Kolkata-based hospital earlier on Thursday (April 30) before breathing his last at 5:00 pm.
He was a rare sportsperson to have represented played more than two sports at the national level. Goswami wasn't only among India's greatest-ever footballers but also played first-cricket for Bengal and took the state to the Ranji Trophy final in 1971-72 season.
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"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," the BCCI said in a statement.
The 82-year-old interestingly bid adieu to football in 1964 after a successful career and soon became a bankable cricketer for Bengal, scoring 1,592 runs in 46 matches at an average of 28.42 while also picking up 47 wickets as a right-hand batsman, who could also bowl right-arm fast-medium.
Goswami played 46 matches for Bengal but his most-noticeable performance came while turning up for a combined East and Central Zone team in 1966 when he bagged eight wickets to help the team defeat a Garry Sobers-led West Indies side.
(Inputs from India Today)
