[2][3] Thangaraj played for the Indian national side at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics.

[14] Thangaraj captained the Services team for its first-ever triumph in the Santosh Trophy in 1960.

Even from penalties, at point-blank range, he would pull off miraculous saves.After leaving Services, Thangaraj played for Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting (1960–63, 1971–72), Mohun Bagan[17] (1963–65), and East Bengal (1965–71) and was a huge fan favorite at the time.

Along with the likes of Chuni Goswami and P. K. Banerjee, Thangaraj was one of the mainstays of the Indian team in 1960s and 70s.

[23][24] After retirement, in 1973, Thangaraj became head coach of the football team of Aligarh Muslim University.

[26] Thangaraj was a devoted follower of Lev Yashin, and was later appointed as advisor of the football department/division of Bokaro Steel Plant.

[14] Legendary strikers of India, Chuni Goswami and P. K. Banerjee often credited his long kicks as source of some of their best goals in career.