Chhetri’s 100th sees India tested by the weather gods, but Blue Tigers hold steady and roar late

The power of clear communication is often understated. A simple home video had done what the millions that the All India Football Federation and it’s marketing partners IMG-Reliance had thrown at the game couldn’t.

Sunil Chhetri’s message to fans ahead of his 100th international game worked like a treat, irrespective of the pre-planned or spontaneous nature of the plea. He had managed to cut through the fog of poorly planned television promos and hastily edited video tributes with a soft but sharp rallying call.

And boy, did they rally.

Crowd braves torrent

The sub-plots involved the action off the pitch as much as it did the proceedings on it. Stephen Constantine was defiant in the post-match press conference, “We should not be begging the fans to come support the national team.”

Weather conditions were inclement to say the least, as the rain made for terrible viewing and even tougher playing conditions. The superfans turned up as well. Sonam Bhattacharyya Chhetri rushed to watch Sunil take to the field for his 100th and she couldn’t be ‘any prouder’. Two-thirds of India’s revered triumvirate of forwards, Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan took their place in the stands to watch the third.

(Read more: India vs Kenya – as it happened)

Television viewing can be deceptive. As the kick-off was delayed to watch if the downpour would abate, daddies and mommies in the stands picked up their children to move them to a safer, drier place.

The general sentiment was one of prayer: a hope that the rain wouldn’t play spoilsport with their favourite son’s landmark appearance, that Zeus would recede from his monsoonal commitments and let the man do what he did best.

Rain and thunder steal the show

The deluge had only heightened anxieties, and it was important to watch whether the team could focus on the task at hand without getting bogged down by the myriad of puddles forming on the pitch.

Constantine went with the midfield pairing of Pronay Halder and Anirudh Thapa, combativeness and lithe. On this night, the pairing’s suitability would be tested by the dual threats of Kenya’s physicality and downpour making ball-play impossible.

Chhetri, up front, received the ball infrequently, but tried to make play tick along as those around him, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Halicharan Narzary seemed to have the lost the ploy. But it was those three, Halder, Thapa and Mumbai City’s new signing Subhasish Bose who kept the Africans at arm’s length as they pushed forward due to the hosts being unable to win the second ball.

Constantine would admit as much post-match that the team had been unable to control the tempo at all, “We needed to get hold of the midfield, we were playing a bit too deep. The weather and the water didn’t help. We had lost our way a bit in regaining the second ball because we were too deep. The back four were okay but midfield four saw the second ball bouncing. We do live analysis and we showed them the clips. In the second half, we got much better and that’s why we won the game.”

As Kenya bombed down India’s left, Bose became India’s most crucial player in the first half. The 22-year-old pushed them back and took it upon himself to be the home side’s one-man wrecking crew. Narayan Das and Jerry Lalrinzuala would do well to take notes.

Chhetri has his moment

The half-time talk and the clearing of the skies seemed to have had the desired impact as the captain and his men played with renewed vigour. Kenya tested the waters early but one-way traffic soon took over as the surface seemed to have dried up quicker than expected.

Running into the box to claim a cross, Chhetri was toppled over and so came the moment. The 33-year-old talisman stuttered but didn’t hesitate, met it head on and the rival custodian’s fingers were powerless to see him go past David Villa on the list of all-time international goalscorers, not that he believed in lists.

Jeje Lalpekhlua, ever a menace in and around the six-yard area, latched onto a loose ball and doubled India’s advantage. The Kenyans were deflated and searched for a way back but the captain would have the final say.

Substitute Balwant Singh put him through in added time, but the legs, seemingly of a much younger man sprung into action and chipped the on-rushing keeper. This was him repaying the crowd for turning up, as he skipped the fence and rushed to join in the celebrations, the Blue Pilgrims drinking in each moment.

At the end of the night, it was only fitting that something he said made complete sense. Indian football might not be at the level of the European game, but the feel of watching the game live is a tingling sensory experience. Amidst Armageddon-like conditions, only the game, out there in the middle, was what truly mattered.