Uruguay's national football team took a break from their preparations to try India's national sport. The players visited the legendary Eden Gardens cricket ground in Kolkata, swapping footballs for bats and balls in a light-hearted cultural exchange session. The official friendly match against India is scheduled for October 6 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, with kick-off at 7:00 p.m. Local time.
The team's official social media account shared footage of the visit, showing figures like Lucas Torreira and Ronald Araújo picking up bats. "We visited Eden Gardens and tried cricket, India's most popular sport," the account posted. In another post, the greeting was more direct: "Namaste, Kolkata". The city tour also included sightseeing at the Victoria Memorial and St Paul's Cathedral.
Tour Context
This cultural stop comes during a FIFA window where Uruguay is facing three national teams. La Celeste arrives in Kolkata following a commanding 4-1 win over South Korea on September 28, with goals from Darwin Núñez (two), Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Guillermo Varela. The match against India is the final test before resuming their qualification battle, where they trail leaders Spain by five points.
A Historic Link
This is not the first time Uruguay has visited Kolkata for football. The team played at Eden Gardens during the inaugural Nehru Cup in 1982, a tournament they went on to win. Current head coach Diego Forlán also has a personal link to India, having played for Mumbai City FC in 2016. Tuesday's friendly is part of a series of visits by top nations to the country, after India faced Panama and lost 4-0 to Brazil in the same city.
The match against India will be the last of this Asian tour before La Celeste refocuses on their primary objective: climbing the World Cup qualification standings.
First reported at sports.yahoo.com
