Ashish Bhadra Explained

Ashish Bhadra
Fullname:Ashish Kumar Bhadra
Birth Date:14 March 1960
Birth Place:Chittagong, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh)
Position:Central midfielder, Attacking midfielder
Height:1.71m
Youthyears1:1976–1978
Youthclubs1:Kazi Deuri Khawaja RC
Years1:1978–1981
Clubs1:Rahmatganj MFS
Years2:1981–1984
Clubs2:Dhaka Abahani
Years3:1984
Clubs3:Mohammedan SC
Years4:1985–1990
Clubs4:Dhaka Abahani
Nationalteam1:Bangladesh U19
Nationalyears1:1978–1980
Nationalyears2:1978–1988
Nationalteam2:Bangladesh

Ashish Bhadra (Bengali: আশীষ ভদ্র; born 14 March 1960) is a retired Bangladeshi footballer.[1] An attacking midfielder, he achieved most of his laurels while playing for Abahani Krira Chakra in the Dhaka League. He was a big factor in Abahani dominating the Dhaka football scene in the early 1980s.[2]

He also represented the Bangladesh national team with great distinction and was captain during all six games of the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He has scored 5 official international goals for his country.[3]

Early years

Ashish's journey started from school football. In 1976, he played Chittagong First Division League for Kazi Deuri Khawaja Recreation Club. He was the captain of the club in 1977 while still being a college student. Former footballer Iqbal Khan, the father of cricketer Tamim Iqbal, helped him during his time playing in the Chittagong Division.[4] In 1977, he played for Chittagong in a zonal match with Sylhet in the Sher-e-Bangla Cup. His team won 3–1, with Ahsish scoring a brace, this performance earned him an invitation to the Dhaka League the following year.[5]

In 1978, Ashish joined Rahmatganj MFS at the age of 18. He performed well during his first league game, which came against Brothers Union, and went on to become an integral part of the team for the following three years. In 1981, he joined Abahani Krira Chakra as the long-term replacement for the clubs legendary midfielder and former captain Amalesh Sen.[2]

Club career

At Abahani, Ashish was part of a formidable midfield duo alongside Khurshid Alam Babul. However, initially the partnership took a bit of time to gel. And in the 1981 Federation Cup final against arch rivals Mohammedan SC, it was Badal Roy, the Mohammedan SC captain who reigned supreme as his team won 2–0.

Abahani took revenge in the League match winning 2–0 as the Ashish-Babul combination started to work together well. Abahani clinched the title and remained unbeaten till the very last match of the campaign. With the title already in their grasp, the sky blues lost their final match against Team BJMC 1–0 with Basudev scoring the only goal of the match. Ashish's biggest moment came late in the season when he scored a hattrick against an Indonesia's Persipal Palu in the final edition of the Aga Khan Gold Cup football tournament in Dhaka. The sky blues won the match 5–0.[6]

In the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship, Ashish was prolific, he scored a brace against Club Valencia of Maldives, as Abahani won the game 8–1. His third and final goal in the tournament came against Sri Lankan club Saunders SC, in a 4–1 victory.

In 1983, he captained Abahani to the Dhaka League title as unbeaten champions, even after the league committee deducted six points off of his side due to disciplinary reasons. Other than his lone year with Mohammedan SC in 1984, Ashish spent the rest of his career at Abahani. He hung up his boots after lifting the domestic league title one last time in 1990. He has 59 goals and 170 assists in his playing career of 20 years.[2] [3]

International career

In 1978 and 1980, Ashish represented the Bangladesh U19 team at the Asian Youth Championships. During the 1978 AFC Youth Championship held in Dhaka, Ahsish scored against Singapore U19 in a 2–2 draw.[7] During the qualifiers for the 1980 AFC Youth Championship, Ashish scored in a 5–1 drubbing of Nepal U19, as Bangladesh qualified for the main tournament, in Bangkok, Thailand. In March 1981, Ashish represented the Bangladesh (Red) team in the first President's Gold Cup in the Dhaka. The red team managed by Bangladesh U19 coach Gafur Baloch, mainly consisted of players that took part in the Asian Youth Championships a month prior. The team reached the finals after beating a North Korean club in the tiebreaker as the match ended 1–1 in regulation time. Ashish had scored the equalizer for the Red team. Eventually his side lost 2–0 in the final to the South Korean University team.[2]

After performing well in the Youth Championship in 1978, Ahsish along with many other players from the Bangladesh U19 team were given a chance to play for the senior team at the 1978 Asian Games, by German coach Werner Bickelhaupt.[2] In 1980, Bangladesh coach at the time, Abdur Rahim, also included Ahsish in the squad for the 1980 AFC Asian Cup. His first goal for the senior team came during a 2–1 win over Malaysia, at the 1982 Asian Games. This was Bangladesh's first victory at the Asian Games, with Badal Roy scoring the all-important goal.[8] [9] Ashish remained an integral part of the national team throughout the 80s alongside his midfield partner for club and country, Khurshid Alam Babul. In the summer of 1985, he was elected as the national team captain for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and scored the opening goal at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, against India during their last qualifying match.[10] Nonetheless, the Indians, eventually won 2–1.[11]

International goals

Bangladesh U19

Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 7 October 1978 align=center 1–2align=center 2–2 1978 AFC Youth Championship
2. 14 December 1980 align=center align=center 5–1 1980 AFC Youth Championship qualifiers

Bangladesh national team

Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 24 November 1982 align=center 1–1align=center 2–1 1982 Asian Games
2. 16 February 1982 align=center 1–1align=center 1–1 1982 Quaid-e-Azam International Cup
3. 22 September 1983 align=center 1–0align=center 1–0 1983 Merdeka Tournament
4. 12 April 1985 align=center 1–0 align=center 1–2 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
5. 2 May 1985 align=center 2–1 align=center 3–1 1985 Quaid-e-Azam International Cup

Awards

In 2012, Ashish was awarded the national sports award for his outstanding contribution to Bangladesh football.[12] [13] [14]

Honours

Abahani Krira Chakra[3]

Mohammedan SC

Bangladesh

Awards and accolades

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Asish shocked to see a downward graph of Bangladesh football. 24 October 2019. theindependentbd.com.
  2. Web site: স্বর্ণালী সময়ের সেরা তারকা আশীষ ভদ্র. 30 November 2016. bn. Daily Janakantha.
  3. Web site: সাক্ষাৎকারে আশির দশকের তারকা ফুটবলার আশীষ ভদ্র. 23 November 2018. bn. Barta24.
  4. Web site: From Iqbal Khan to Tamim Iqbal: A family synonymous with sports. 5 November 2020. Daily Sun.
  5. Web site: তর সইছে না আশীষ-কামালদের.... 20 October 2015. bn. Prothomalo.
  6. Web site: Aga Khan Gold Cup 1981/82. RSSSF. 17 December 2023.
  7. Web site: ঢাকার মাঠে সবচেয়ে বড় ফুটবল উৎসব. bn. 20 April 2021. Utp al Shuvro.
  8. News: https://www.prothomalo.com/sports/football/%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A7%A9%E0%A7%A8-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%83%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF. bn:অনুপ্রেরণা ৩২ বছর আগের স্মৃতি. Prothom Alo. bn. 2 February 2023. 2 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230202061119/https://www.prothomalo.com/sports/football/%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A7%A9%E0%A7%A8-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%9B%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%83%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF. live.
  9. Web site: মালয়েশিয়ায় 'নতুন' বাদল রায়ের খোঁজে বাংলাদেশ. bn. deltatimes24.com. 24 June 2022.
  10. Web site: SAFF Games gold medal, an illusion for the Bangladesh team. 2 May 2021. Weekly Blitz.
  11. Web site: Salt Lake Stadium set to be full house as Bangladesh take on India in Bengal. 2021-02-10. The New Indian Express.
  12. Web site: 32 stars honoured with Bangladesh National Sports Award. 4 September 2016.
  13. Web site: 4 September 2016. National Sports Award for 32 Bangladesh sportsperson for 2010-12. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160904113640/http://bdnews24.com/sport/2016/09/04/national-sports-award-for-32-bangladesh-sportsperson-for-2010-12 . 2016-09-04 . 2021-02-10. bdnews24.com.
  14. Web site: ফুটবলে সংস্কার চান আশীষ ভদ্র. 2 February 2019. bn. Desh Rupantor.
  15. Web site: অবশেষে অনেক অবহেলার পর "জাতীয় ক্রীড়া পুরস্কার" পাচ্ছেন ফুটবলার বাবুল-মহসীন ও আশীষ. bn. 24 August 2016. Kiron's Sports Desk. 22 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231222172222/https://kironsportsdesk.com/2016/08/24/4134/. live.