In a recent podcast interview with Lex Fridman, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was asked a lighthearted question: "Who has the better cricket team, India or Pakistan?"
Instead of making direct comparisons, Modi said, "I think sports have the power to energize the entire world. The spirit of sports brings people together across different nations. That’s why I would never want to see sports being discredited. I truly believe that sports play a major role in human evolution. They’re not just games, they connect people on a deeper level. Now, coming to the question of who’s better and who’s not, when it comes to techniques in sports, I’m not an expert. Only those who specialize in the technical aspects can judge which techniques are superior and who the best players really are. But sometimes the results speak for themselves. Just a few days ago, India and Pakistan played a match. The result reveals, which is the better team. That’s how we know."
When asked about the football, he said,"It’s absolutely true that many regions in India have a strong football culture. Our women’s football team is performing really well and the men’s team is also making great progress. But if we talk about the past, back in the 1980s, one name that always stood out was Maradona. For that generation, he was seen as a true hero, and if you ask today’s generation, they’ll immediately mention Messi.
Now that you’ve asked, another interesting memory just came to mind. There’s a state in India called Madhya Pradesh, right in the center. There’s a district called Shahdol, a completely tribal region where a large tribal community resides. I really enjoy interacting with people from such communities, especially the self-help groups run by tribal women. So I decided to visit them and have a conversation. But when I got there, I noticed something fascinating. Around 80 to 100 young boys, kids and even some older youth all dressed in sports uniforms standing together. Naturally, I walked over to them. So I asked them, “Where are you all from?” And they replied, “We’re from mini Brazil.” I was surprised and said, “What do you mean by mini Brazil?” They said, “That’s what people call our village.” Curious, I asked, “Why do they call it mini Brazil?” They explained, “In our village, football has been played for four generations. Nearly 80 national level players have come from here. Our entire village is dedicated to football.” They also told me when we host our annual football match, nearly 20,000 to 25,000 spectators come from nearby villages to watch."
