• Source: Ranjit Das

Ranjit Das (Bengali: রণজিৎ দাস; born 29 October 1932) is a former Bangladeshi football player and coach. He represented the East Pakistan football team from 1955 to 1962, and also served as captain of the team.




Early life


Ranjit Das was born on 29 October 1932 in Sylhet, British India, the fifth and youngest child of Kamala Kant Das and Vasantilata Das. In 1947, he got an opportunity to play cricket for Town Club. Nonetheless, his cricket career ended following the 1947 Sylhet referendum, as a large part of the elite body who managed cricket moved to India.




Club career






= Early career

=
On 7 August 1954, Ranjit represented Town Club in the final of a local tournament against United Friends Club in Habiganj. His team won the game 1–0, with Ranjit's performance against the opposing team's striker, Balai Das, a member of the East Pakistan football team, standing out. Following the game, he was offered a position to play for Merchant Club and crossed the border to Agartala, where his team tied goalless in an exhibition game against hosts Birendra Club. This game was observed by S. D. Burman, who later praised Ranjit's performance. In 1955, East Bengal Club from Kolkata played an invitational match in Comilla. Ranjit, representing the hosts, Comilla XI, kept a clean sheet in a 3–0 victory. In the same year, he represented Ispahani Club in the Dhaka First Division League and played four games before the league was suspended due to a flood.




= Azad Sporting Club

=

In 1956, Ranjit joined Azad Sporting Club, a team that was composed entirely of Bengali players at the time. He captained the team in both 1957 and 1958, and during the latter year, he led them to their sole First Division title. The team, which included notable players such as S. A. Jamman Mukta, Tajul Islam Manna, Khandoker Abul Hasan, and other representatives of the East Pakistan football team, managed to outperform traditional giants Dhaka Mohammedan and Dhaka Wanderers. They secured the league title with a 3–2 victory in the play-off game against Central Station & Printing Press.




= Dhaka Mohammedan

=
In 1958, Ranjit represented Dhaka Mohammedan at the IFA Shield in Kolkata. The team reached the quarter-finals but eventually lost 0–3 to Kolkata Mohammedan. Nonetheless, due to his impressive performances, he was acquired as a guest player by the Kolkata-based side for the Durand Cup held in Delhi. Prior to that, Ranjit had represented Tripura XI in the IFA Shield. In 1959, he was part of the Dhaka Mohammedan team, which won both the First Division and Aga Khan Gold Cup title.




= Retirement

=
In 1960, Ranjit returned to Azad Sporting Club. He represented the club in the Aga Khan Gold Cup that same year and went on to spend the following four years as a player-cum-coach. In 1963 and 1964, Ranjit coached Khandoker Mohammad Nurunnabi, who became the club's first-choice goalkeeper, overtaking his spot.




International career



Ranjit first represented the East Pakistan football team at the sixth National Football Championship held in Bahawalpur. His team exited the tournament from the quarter-finals after suffering a 1–3 defeat to Baluchistan on 21 November 1955. He was also an integral part of the East Pakistan Whites, the eventual runners-up at the eighth National Football Championship held in Dhaka. The team captained by Mari Chowdhury, lost the final 1–2 to Punjab on 10 November 1957.
On 15 December 1957, Ranjit represented East Pakistan Sports Federation XI in an exhibition match against Kolkata Mohammedan in Dhaka. He produced a man of the match performance in a 1–1 draw, denying the likes of Abid Ghazi and Mohammed Rahmatullah on numerous occasions. On 5 April 1958, Ranjit was among six players from East Pakistan selected by the PFF for a training camp in preparation for the Tokyo Asian Games. Nonetheless, he failed to make the final squad.
In the ninth National Football Championship held in Multan, the East Pakistan team was knocked out by Punjab Reds, the junior team of defending champions Punjab. In the game held on 15 November 1958, East Pakistan lost 1–3, with vice-captain Ranjit's lack of height being blamed for conceding the first two goals. In the tenth National Football Championship held in Hyderabad, East Pakistan lost the final to Baluchistan on 7 November 1959. Ranjit was again blamed for the team's defeat, misjudging an aerial clearance that ended up being the only goal scored in the game.
Ranjit was made second choice goalkeeper to Siddique at the eleventh National Football Championship held in Karachi. The team eventually went on to win their maiden title by defeating Karachi White 1–0 in the final held on 27 November 1960. Ranjit later represented East Pakistan XI in an exhibition game against the touring Burma national team in Chittagong on 25 January 1961. The game ended in a 1–9 defeat, with winger Liton scoring the home team's only goal.




Coaching career


In 1968, Ranjit coached the East Pakistan Youth football team to a runners-up place in the Pakistan National Youth Football Championship (East Zone). In the final held at Mymensingh Stadium, his team lost 0–1 to East Pakistan Combined University. He also served as the head coach of Azad Sporting Club in the 1970s.




Post-retirement


Following the foundation of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) on 15 July 1972, Ranjit was elected as its Joint Secretary. He played a major role in selecting the first Bangladesh national football team in 1973, alongside Nabi Chowdhury, Sheikh Shaheb Ali and Manzur Hasan Mintu. In 1981, he was again nominated as a member of the federation's executive committee.




Honours


Azad Sporting Club

Dhaka League: 1958
Dhaka Mohammedan

Dhaka League: 1959
Aga Khan Gold Cup: 1959
East Pakistan

National Championship: 1960
Individual

2007 − National Sports Award
2006 − Grameenphone - Prothom Alo Sports Lifetime award of the Year




Hockey career


Ranjit joined the National Bank of Pakistan as an officer in 1959. He also played as a goalkeeper for the bank's field hockey team and won the Dhaka First Division League in both 1963 and 1965. In 1967, he got a chance to play for the East Pakistan hockey team and was eventually appointed as the team's captain the following year. He represented the team in the Pakistan National Hockey Championship. Ranijit retired from the game after representing the Sylhet hockey team in 1979.




References






Bibliography


Alam, Masud (2017). ফুটবলের গল্প ফুটবলারদের গল্প (transl. The story of football the story of footballers) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 9789849134688.
Mahmud, Dulal (2014). পাকিস্তান জাতীয় দল বাঙালি খেলোয়াড় (transl. Bengali players in the Pakistan national team) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon.
Mahmud, Dulal (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.

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