Balbir remains the holder of Olympic and world record for the most goals scored by an individual in an Olympic men's hockey final for scoring 5 out of the 6 goals against Holland in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. He captained the Indian team that won the title in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
Despite an outstanding career, Balbir remains a modest man and has to be coaxed into talking about his achievements. "I was very lucky", he says.
He calls hockey "my Goddess, my first love and my darling". He is still waiting for his "hockey fairy" who would help India regain its glory in the game.
