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ShareThe first thing they teach you in journalism school is the importance of being objective. But, as most sports journalists will tell you, it's the one rule they break the most. It's difficult to be objective when Sachin Tendulkar is scripting a masterpiece right in front of your eyes. It's like asking Shane Warne to practise celibacy.
Sports journalists are fans first before anything else, no matter what they might tell you. So if they think Zinedine Zidane was the best ever Galactico, nothing can change their opinion, not even Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hundred goals at the Santiago Bernabeu from the half way mark.
Last week, I had one of those fan moments of mine, where I wanted to scream, dance, give the tightest hugs and dream of bigger miracles. India had won the Nehru Cup football tournament beating Syria in a shootout.
Of course, the tournament didn't feature any big teams - the four participating nations, apart from India, were Syria (ranked 95), Kyrgyzstan (143), Lebanon (150) and Sri Lanka (159). But a win is a win. And as an Indian football fan, I cherish every one of them, for they are so hard to come by.
However, much to my delight, in the recently-concluded tournament, India (now ranked 149) did appear to be the best team, even better than the much higher-ranked Syria.
Man to man, maybe, Syria would be more talented, but I've never seen this Bob Houghton-coached side more driven to succeed than in the final last Monday.
In fact, I was so intoxicated with happiness that I even nodded vigorously in agreement when Houghton claimed that on Indian grounds his boys can beat Asian giants like Japan (40) and South Korea (49).
Many friends of mine thought it was an outrageous statement to make (Bob had said it even before they had won the Nehru Cup), but I was already imagining whether it'd be Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chetri or Steven Dias who would score the winning goal. That's what happens when the fan in me pushes out the objective journalist.
Houghton seems to be taking the team in the right direction. I've been told, during some of my interactions with the first team players, that they feel more confident about their abilities. Their approach to the game has changed. No matter who the opposition is, the team plays for a win.
It made me wonder whether this was the big phase of transition for Indian football. Just like it happened with the Indian cricket in 2000, with Sourav Ganguly leading the team into that change.
The 2011 Asia Cup will be the biggest challenge for this Indian team. I have a good feeling about them. It would be silly to think they could win the tournament, playing in it for the first time since 1984. The tournament features Asian biggies like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, South Korea, and even Australia and our team doesn't seem to have a chance. But, I want to think they can. I am just a silly, crazy fan after all.
