The yellow and green have already arrived in Kolkata. Brazil are here, Carlo Ancelotti is here, and by Saturday evening Salt Lake Stadium will be waiting for one of the biggest football nights India has hosted.
Vikash Dhorasoo will be there too. But as the city gets ready for Vinicius Junior, Endrick and Brazil, the former France international is looking beyond the glamour of one evening. For him, India vs Brazil should also be a reminder of what Indian football could become if it starts thinking bigger.
Dhorasoo, who has Indian roots and played for France at the 2006 World Cup, believes India needs to widen its talent pool, give more players the chance to experience football abroad and, most importantly, settle on a long-term plan.
“Each game has its own importance and helps you to progress,” Dhorasoo said. “Of course, it’s a great help to play the best team in the world, but local football must be as important as the special game you might have.”
WILLIAMS SHOWS THE WAY
There is already a timely example in India’s own squad.
Ryan Williams was born in Australia before completing his switch to represent India at senior level. He scored on his India debut and then found the net again in the 1-1 draw against Panama last week, making him one of the most important attacking names in the squad heading into Brazil. FIFA approved his change of association before he made his India debut.
It is only two goals, and there is no need to rush comparisons with Sunil Chhetri. But since Chhetri’s retirement, India have been searching for a forward who can offer a dependable goal threat. Williams has quickly begun to fill that space, scoring against Panama when India needed an attacking spark.
His story also gives some weight to Dhorasoo’s argument that India should look more closely at its diaspora.
“I could have been playing for India if there was this possibility back then,” Dhorasoo said. “And I hope there will be room for the integration of this kind of player in the future.”
Dhorasoo mentioned DR Congo international Samuel Moutoussamy as another player with Indian heritage who could potentially be part of the conversation. The wider pool includes names such as Yan Dhanda and Sarpreet Singh, although ancestry or OCI status alone does not make a player eligible to represent India. FIFA eligibility and Indian citizenship requirements remain relevant.
For Dhorasoo, the first step is creating a pathway that gives these players a reason to consider India.
“First of all, the possibility must exist to open the conversation with the players,” he said. “And we also have to show them a good project, a big project. What is the future for Indian football?”
BRAZIL IS MORE THAN A NIGHT
That question feels particularly relevant with Brazil now in Kolkata.
India are ranked 138th in FIFA’s latest official ranking, while Brazil are among the world’s top-ranked teams. The fixture is therefore less about a conventional competitive objective and more about measuring India’s players against a level they rarely encounter.
India began this run of friendlies with a 1-1 draw against Panama, with Williams scoring. Brazil are next on October 3, followed by Uruguay on October 6. The three fixtures offer India exposure to teams with recent World Cup experience, but Dhorasoo believes the benefit depends on what happens after the final whistle.
“They have to enjoy the moment,” he said of India’s players. “They have to make the best match of their life. They will take a lot of experience, memories also.”
For that experience to translate into progress, however, Dhorasoo believes Indian players need more exposure outside the country too.
He pointed to Japan’s decision over the past three decades to send players overseas, with Japanese footballers now established in leagues across Europe.
“Now there are a lot of players playing in the Bundesliga, in the Premier League, in Spain and in France as well,” he said. “And it helped a lot Japanese football to reach very high levels.”
He also sees the same principle in French football, where many of the country’s best players have built careers outside France.
INDIA NEEDS A 10-YEAR PLAN
Dhorasoo’s vision ultimately stretches much further than Saturday night.
He wants India to decide what kind of football it wants to play and then build that identity through youth development, coaching and grassroots structures.
“India, first of all, must choose the path it wants to follow for its football,” he said. “And then implement it at youth-category level, at coach-formation level as well, and develop it for a long time.”
There is no promise of a quick transformation in his assessment. Dhorasoo believes India are looking at a project that could take a decade or more.
“For me, it’s 10 years away, maybe 15 years,” he said. “It’s a long way, but we have to start with young guys, young football players.”
That makes Saturday’s game an interesting starting point rather than an end in itself.
Dhorasoo will watch India take on Brazil on October 3. And perhaps the biggest question after the final whistle will not be how India performed against Vinicius Junior and Co, but what India chooses to do with the experience.
– Ends
