IPL, the pro kabaddi league, the IBL (Indian Badminton League)....is the paradigm finally begining to shift in the Indian Sporting fraternity?
I had promised myself when i wrote my first blog that my next 5 articles won't be on sport.. :) Well that promise has now gone for a toss. But then what are you gonna do really? Once a sport buff....I guess always a sports buff..
But the focus of attention for this blog of mine is the current flavor of the season football...
It is called the universal game but i am sure there are quite a few folks from the indian fraternity who would say otherwise. Well as you know their universe centers around cricket so no arguing with them.
But this year with the advent of the ISL i.e., the Indian Super League...i can see a future for the game in india...a final glimmer of hope.
I have been asked by many people in various forums regarding my favourite game and try as i may i could never say the word cricket. It's always been football. And finally given the chance to see some of our generations footballing heroes albeit a bit on the wee side of their age..has finally led me to believe that if not me, atleast my children would get to see some world stage matches on our own turf.
It literally has been pleasing to see the likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Nicholas Anelka, David James, Elano strut their stuff on indian soil and helping the young indian players grow their skills. I am even more surprised by the crowd turnout at these games. I was pleasently shocked to see sellout crowd's and the hooting and chanting, the stomping of the advertisement boards, the abusing all made me feel as if i was watching a football games with a few of my mates in one of the famed english football stadiums or rather a Man Utd vs Arsenal game for the purists :)
With the aunties, uncles and little be-spectacled kids amongst the crowd i could see the indian feel to the scheme of things. It made me believe in the true aura of this sport and what it can turn even the most novice spectator into.
It's encouraging to see indian football stars like nabi, subroto, bhutia and others playing on a level field with these superstarts and playing well. You never know come 2015 we might even find a few of them playing under the watchful eyes of say an Arsene Wenger.
Fingers crossed!!!!
