Amar Bahadur ruled the left wing at the local level (representing Gorkha Brigade and Mafatlal Mills) and National level (donning Maharashtra and Services colours) at a time when Indian men’s football was on a high in Asian tournaments (1970 Asian Games bronze).

He was a maverick on the left flank and a master of the dribble. He passed away at 74 in Gurgaon on Thursday, leaving behind a sea of admirers, among whom were ex-Mafatlal and India stalwart Ranjit Thapa, former India captain Brahmanand Sankwalkar and Orkay SC striker Prakash Shetty. “Fans came for Mafatlal matches at the Cooperage. Amar Bahadur was one of the famous names they enjoyed watching for their style and ball delivery,” said Thapa.

Thapa, playing right half then, struck up a deadly rapport with the left-winger. “Matches used to be played in the monsoon months, when the ground was slushy, and keeping your balance was difficult. Amar Bahadur would not fall even at top pace. We would be smeared with mud, but he walked off with a clean white jersey. Over a period of time, his balance became the talking point.”

Celebrities from the Hindi movie world like Dilip Kumar, Pran, Ajit, Johny Walker and Aagha would come for Cooperage games. “Mafatlal was one among many top sides then playing attacking and attractive football,” remembers Thapa, who credits many of his goals to crosses from the ace winger. “He instinctively knew when the ball would be passed his way; the crosses were so accurate that I dashed from right half to finish.”

The left-winger played in three Merdeka Cup tournaments for India, the highpoint of his career being the 1-0 win over Japan in the bronze medal match at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, under Syed Naeemuddin’s leadership.

“Amar Bahadur was an elegant player in the forward line,” said Brahmanand, who watched the India star for the first time as a schoolboy, and later played against him in Goa. Orkay Mills striker Shetty recalls fans calling out to Amar Bahadur by his nickname ‘Saab’.

“He boxed for the Services before taking up football. Goals from the corner flag, and curling the heavy leather ball in were his specialities. He dribbled on the line, one half of his boots would be covered with chalk,” said the former. “Defenders like India great Sudhir Karmarkar rated him as the toughest forward he faced.”

JCT’s Bhatia, Koshy from Tatas, Andrews from Orkay, Diego of Mahindras engaged in battles with the maestro in the league and Rovers Cup. Many also played with him for Maharashtra in the Santosh Trophy.