In 1948, when the Indian national team burst into the international scene at the London Olympics, they were widely regarded as a bunch of “barefooted genius”. Led by T. Aao, a doctor by profession and a midfielder with Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan Club, the Indians took the world by storm when they went down narrowly to France 1-2 after missing two spot kicks in the keenly fought encounter.
Three years later in 1951, the same bunch of barefooted players, this time captained by Sailen Manna, had a wonderful gift for the newly-independent nation as they bagged the gold medal in the inaugural Asian Games in New Delhi in the presence of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Since then, the Indian national team have come a long way to establish themselves as true ambassadors of India’s sporting ideas. Always a highly disciplined lot on the field, the Indians have won many international tournaments like Asian Games (1962), Pesta Sukan tournament (1971), LG Cup (2002), Nehru Cup (2007) and the AFC Challenge Cup (2008).
Once considered the giants of Asia, the national team is currently going through a period of transition. The appointment of reputed British coach, Bob Houghton has brought in new ideas that are being rapidly implemented by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The Federation's persistent efforts is now evident from the fact that India have qualified for the Asian Cup Final round's in 2011, Qatar for the first time since 1984.
To gain the required experienced, the national team is now being given regular exposure at the international level, both in Asia and Europe. The recent triumphs in the Nehru Cup and the AFC Challenge Cup has given the team a new lease of life. The entire nation is now waiting with bated breath to see the team perform in the Asia Cup in Doha in 2011.