Balbir’s greatest moment was 1968 Olympics bronze

Indervir Grewal

Tribune News Service

chandigarh, March 1

There is a funny anecdote about the Indian hockey team from the late 1960s. The commentary during India’s matches would often be more of less like this: Balbir Singh passes the ball to Balbir Singh, who passes it to Balbir Singh.

Though an exaggeration, it highlights the fact that Balbir Singh was a popular name in hockey at that time. The Indian squads at the 1966 Asian Games and the 1968 Olympics had three players named Balbir Singh. It could be a coincidence. It could also be credited to the fact that three-time Olympics gold-medallist Balbir Singh (Senior) was one of the biggest hockey idols in Punjab at that time and the two previous decades. Whatever the reason, the proliferation of Balbir Singhs caused quite a bit of confusion for everyone.

The story goes that the commentators at the 1966 Asian Games started distinguishing the three by mentioning their playing positions along with the names. Incidentally, all three played on the right side, one as a midfielder and two as forwards. After India won the 1968 Olympics bronze, the number of Balbirs to win an Olympics medal rose from one to four. Thus arose the need to find a way to tell the four apart; and in the Indian hockey scene, there came to be known the four Balbirs — Balbir Singh (Senior), Balbir Singh (Railways), Balbir Singh (Services) and Balbir Singh (Punjab).

Balbir Singh (Punjab), the oldest of the three teammates, passed away on Friday after succumbing to a heart attack. He was 77. On Saturday, Balbir Singh (Services) received a phone call from a friend in Australia, who was “worried that I had passed away”. “Right from our playing days, our names would get mixed up,” Balbir Singh (Services) said. “Once I scored a goal and he got the credit,” he added.

It didn’t help that the two Balbirs had the same last name — Kullar — and belonged to the same village — Sansarpur. A right-in, Balbir Singh (Punjab) made his India debut in 1963. He toured with India to Belgium, England, Netherlands, New Zealand and West Germany. But his biggest achievement came in 1966, with the Asian Games gold, where India beat Pakistan 1-0. “The goal in the final came after touches from all three Balbirs,” said Balbir Singh (Services), recalling the extra-time winner from Balbir Singh (Railways). In the 1968 Olympics, though, Balbir Singh (Punjab) wasn’t a regular in the playing XI, and played only in the bronze-medal match. “It is my belief that had he played throughout the tournament, India could have won the gold,” said Balbir Singh (Services). After the Olympics, Balbir Singh (Punjab) played largely for Punjab Police, a team which he later captained as well. He retired as a Deputy Inspector General. He received the Arjuna Award in 1999 and the Padma Shri Award in 2009.