Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

At the hour of the football World Cup, let's have a look at the Indian football prowesses...

 So you may know it or not but India does have a national football team! Created in 1937, affiliated to the FIFA since 1948 and currently ranking... 154^th (out of 207)!

In the sixties, Indians were actually among the top 3 of Asian teams. They even qualified in 1950 for the World Cup (in Brazil) but refused to participate, at the last minute. It is unclear why, the inadequate foreign exchange reserves, the long journey by ship, the obligation to wear... shoes (obviously the only reason which has been retained in the popular imagination)!

 Some Indians do watch football on TV – but almost only matches of English teams (a side effect of the colonization) are broadcast...

 Anyway, Indians and sport is not really a love story...

 Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-26143796; http://fr.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html; http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/the-1950-FIFA-World-Cup-a-missed-opportunity-for-India/ 

 

I am always bewildered by cricket.

To sit in front of the TV for 8 hours watching guys (not even fit and good looking) throwing a ball and pretending to run, I don’t get it…

 

And when sport becomes an excuse for a stupid nationalist attitude, I just hate it (and I hate it for any sport as a matter of fact). So many people told me about the "importance" of the semi-finale Pakistan-India. But you don't understand? Pakistan-India!! Obviously I don't. Are we talking about Cricket or about the squabble (war) that has been on since Independence?

 

So, India has won the Cricket World Cup, after 28 years. Of course we are happy for them!! They finally win something!! ;)

 

I had to watch parts of the game (at least 3 hours). I could not understand a thing. Even more bewildering than the game, the comments. Since nothing is happening, they have nothing to say. But they are quite good because they still manage to rant on for 8 hours!!

 

BUT I did not completely waste my time. I was lucky enough to watch the team players’ thanking: Yuvraj Singh, man of the tournament: "(This is) for Sachin, for everyone else in the team. I want to dedicate this to my Guru Ram Singh and Guru Ajit Singh and my parents and friends." No kidding?? He thanks his gurus first??!

 

And then there was the captain, man of the match, MS Dhoni. During the night following the game he shaved his head and devoted his hairs to Lord Balaji as he had promised him.

 

To conclude, when someone asks you if with the development of India, religion is receding, you know what to answer!!

 

Sources: http://www.4to40.com/newsat4/index.asp?p=Player_of_the_Tournament_Yuvraj_Singh&k=Guru_Ram_Singh

http://www.newsi18.com/en/sports-news/crikcet-news/ms-dhoni-shaved-his-head-to-get-bald-after-world-cup-victory/19618/00/