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Chak De India: When Balbir Singh Senior wished MS Dhoni-led Team India to 'complete their own golden hat-trick'

Balbir Singh Sr, one of the greatest hockey players of the country after Major Dhyan Chand, had once told former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni that "your victory contributes towards my good health".

When Balbir Singh Senior wished MS Dhoni-led Team India to complete their own golden hat-trick

Chandigarh, May 26: Hockey legend Balbir Singh Senior's heart always beat for hockey but the three-time Olympic gold-medallist was not immune to the charm of India's favourite sport cricket.

Balbir Singh Sr, one of the greatest hockey players of the country after Major Dhyan Chand, had once told former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni that "your victory contributes towards my good health".

The 96-year-old Singh - who was part of the 1948 London Olympic gold medallist Indian Hockey Team - died in Mohali on Monday (May 25) and was accorded full state honours during his funeral. The encounter with Dhoni happened four years ago when the Indian team was at the PCA stadium in Mohali ahead of their World T20 tie against Australia.

Singh wanted to convey his good wishes to the team before the game. Dhoni had thanked him and enquired about his health, to which the legend had smiled and replied, "Your victory contributes towards my good health."

Singh, then 92, had told PTI, "I came to wish the team to win their third world title and complete their own golden hat-trick."

India defeated Australia to make the semifinals before going down to the West Indies in that edition of the World T20. India had won the World T20 title in 2007 and the 50-over World Cup in 2011.

The Dhoni-led Indian side was missed the golden treble a couple of years back when they were defeated by Sri Lanka in the final of 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

The hockey icon was battling multiple health issues and had been on life support for over two weeks. One of the country's greatest athletes, Singh became the only Indian among 16 legends chosen by the International Olympic Committee across the modern Olympic history.

His world record for most goals scored by an individual in the men's hockey final of the Olympics has stood the test of time. He had scored five goals in India's 6-1 victory over the Netherlands in the gold medal match at the 1952 Helsinki Games. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in 1957 and was also the manager of India's World Cup-winning team in 1975.

(With PTI inputs)

Story first published: Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 21:44 [IST]
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