'His positivity was infectious,' Sourav Ganguly offers condolences on PK Banerjee's demise

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly offered his condolences on the demise legendary football PK Banerjee.

The BCCI president took to Twitter to express his heartfelt message and said that PK's positivity was infectious and how Banerjee had an immense influence on his career when he was just 18 years old.

"Lost a very dear person today .. someone who I loved and respected enormously," wrote Ganguly.

Lost a very dear person today .. someone who I loved and respected enormously.. someone who had so much influence in my career when I was a 18 year old boy .. his positivity was infectious .. may his soul rest in peace .. lost two vry dear persons ths week https://t.co/unRE125C9w

— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) March 20, 2020

Loved across the footballing maidan, PK was one of the respected athelets in India's sports history. With his passing, India lost their last surviving goalscoarer in their revered 1962 Asian Games gold medal winning campaign, where the blues defeated a South Korea by a 2-1 margin.

The 83-year-old after suffering from prolonged illness, breathed his last at 12:40 pm, Friday, 20 March at a private hospital in Kolkata. PK is survived by his two daughters Paula and Pixie.

Not only was PK a celebrated player he was one of the respected coaches in Kolkata who tasted his success with East Bengal in the domestic league, and guided India to a bronze medal finish in the Bangkok Asian games in 1970 - the last medal Indian football team won at the competition.

PK was a part of India's one of the biggest moments in world football when, India thrashed Australia 4-2 in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics where a 20-year-old PK, who had debuted a year earlier assisted Neville deSouza and J Krishnaswamy.