Mizoram boys bask in Subroto Cup glory

Chunga Humar after scoring the first goal

Barely minutes had passed after the final whistle of the sub-junior boys final of the Subroto Cup here at Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium and the onlookers got to see something unique. The elated boys from Government Chawngfiang Middle School had just taken their T-shirts off, flipped them around and put it on again!

Sounds perplexing, doesn't it? But all they did was to get their jersey numbers in front. Joyous and perhaps still unable to come to terms to what they had just pulled off, they were seen kissing their respective numbers and for once it seemed that the proverbial name in front of had taken the backseat.

No one seemed to mind though, from their support staff to the cheering state-mates and even the chief minister of MIzoram seemed to be in awe of the inspiring kids who had just pulled off one of the most memorable wins in recent history of the tourney over a spirited and equally devoted team from Esteqalal School in Kabul.

Asked about it, coach Lalthawmmawia couldn't help but gush in appreciation, "It's a great moment for all of us. All the kids, the parents, coaches and every one else has put in so much to reach here. Perhaps the boys are too young to understand but as they grow older and maybe some of them will take up the sport professionally, they will understand the value of what they have pulled off today."

Explaining how Subroto over the years has evolved into one of the biggest platforms for young talent to prosper, he added, "There have been so many great players who came in to the limelight through this tournament. People like Bhaichung Bhutia, Robin Singh and more recently Uttam Rai- these guys give us hope that our kids could do well too. Once they do well here they garner confidence and that helps them stay motivated.

Hopefully, most of them will return to win the Under 17 title in 2-3 years time." While the kids remained hesitant to open up, we caught up with Bhaskar Ganguly, the former captain of the Indian national team who had been appointed by the tournament committee to scout promising talent at the event.

In appreciation of the boys from Mizoram, he said, "The better team won, they fought back after Afghanistan rallied to hold them and thats very commendable. Some of the boys like Chunga Humar are extremely special and with proper guidance, I expect them to don the national colours soon." Coming from the man who was famously referred to as 'India's Lev Yashin', those words should act as pillars of encouragement for these 14 year olds.

Over time, as even Ganguly acknowledged, they would understand that the name on the back of the jersey is indeed more important, till then though they should be allowed to enjoy themselves and bask in what they have just achieved.