Indian hockey legend Mohammed Shahid passed away

New Delhi, July 20: Indian hockey legend Mohammed Shahid on Wednesday passed away at the Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon.

The 56-year-old’s medical condition had been worsening and he had gone into coma on Tuesday night.

Shahid was a member of India’s 1980 Olympics team, which won the gold medal in Moscow.

Born on April 14, 1960 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Shahid burst onto the international hockey scene at the age of 19 in 1979 against France at the Junior World Cup.

But it was during a four-nation tournament in Malaysia that he won rave reviews from his captain Vasudev Baskaran – who would lead India at the 1980 Olympics – while leaving the opposing Pakistan players stunned by his mastery.

Shahid’s style of play was based on speed and an ability to dribble the ball with rare wizardry, and it was this aspect of his game which won him fans across the country during the 1980s and revived Indian hockey when interest had started to wane against cricket’s immense popularity following the 1983 World Cup win.

Shahid was battling a liver and kidney ailment and had been provided with a medical grant of Rs 10 lakh from the Sports Ministry. His employers, Railways, had agreed to pay medical expenses incurred due to his treatment.

Shahid – who also captained India during the 1985-86 season – received the Arjuna Award in 1981 and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1986. Since retiring from hockey, the somewhat reclusive Shahid had worked with the Indian railways and was based in his hometown of Varanasi.

The hockey great was visited by several members of the fraternity in the last few weeks.

He is survived by his wife Parveen Shahid and twin children Mohammad Saif and Heena Shahid.