A few months after I first hit a celluloid ball as a pre-teen, I believed I was ready for tournament play and entered a day-long table tennis event at the YMCA in Hyderabad. I drew a bye in the first round and, for some reason, my second round opponent did not turn up and I was in the quarterfinals without even working up a sweat.
Then I came face to face with ground reality, losing in straight games. I could not go near the table for a long time, preferring the comfort of team sports like basketball and cricket. At least, there would be others to share the agony of a lost game. The blow would be softened.
We heard a lot of different voices during the group discussion on Indian Football at the Crossroads, organised by Hindustan Football Club at India Habitat Centre on December 18 but there was one striking bond that linked the voices together – a boundless passion for Indian football. Moderated by football analyst Novy Kapadia, the group discussion featured people from different streams – football administration, football coaching, a tournament organiser, the CEO of a sports academy and representatives of sports media. Here are my notes from the group discussion.
Your take