Basketball
Indian basketball legend Abbas Moontasir passes away
Former India basketball captain Ghulam Abbas Moontasir passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday night after prolonged illness.
Former India basketball captain Ghulam Abbas Moontasir passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday night after prolonged illness. He was 80. Moontasir was also the first basketball player to be honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award.
Born in 1942 in Mumbai, Abbas Moontasir took up basketball after American missionaries introduced the sport in Nagpada. He soon rose through the ranks to become a vital cog in the wheel with his state team.
Moontasir made his international debut in 1960 during a match against Australia. He would then go on to captain the national team from 1969 to 1975, during which India earned a creditable 6th-placed finish at the 1970 Asian Games after topping their group.
Thanks to his exploits in the continental showpiece event, Abbas Moontasir was named in the Asian All-Star Team in the same year.