Kolkata: At the final whistle in Bengaluru, the Indian players clenched their fists and embraced after holding Panama 1-1. Days later in Kolkata, Khalid Jamil and Carlo Ancelotti embraced on a press conference podium before India faced Brazil. On the final night, 37,307 spectators roared as Anirudh Thapa equalised against Uruguay. Thunder followed within minutes.
India had welcomed three teams from the 2026 World Cup. Ryan Williams’ goal gave the Blue Tigers the lead against Panama; Brazil’s canary yellow then shared the Salt Lake Stadium with India blue for the teams’ first senior meeting. Against Uruguay, Thapa’s finish made him only the second Indian to score against La Celeste in a senior international, 44 years after Manas Bhattacharya did so at Eden Gardens.
The results were a 1-1 draw and 0-4 and 1-6 defeats. India scored twice and conceded 11. Those numbers demand an honest reckoning. They also sit alongside moments that showed what India could produce against opponents of this calibre, and what the team must learn to sustain.
Thapa had spoken about that opportunity before the window began. “I think it will be a great lesson, a great experience for us as players and as a team, for the fans as well,” he said. Back in the national team after two years, he supplied one of its defining moments when he followed up Williams’ shot against Uruguay and put the rebound beyond Thiago Cardozo.
India’s early pressing that night drew acknowledgement from Diego Forlán. “Our transition, our passing, was a little bit slow. So India took advantage of that,” the Uruguay coach said. “They got the ball, and they could damage us.” His side adjusted, regained control and won 6-1, but the opening exchanges had given India a glimpse of how they could trouble even a two-time world champion.
Jamil would not attribute the defeat to the lightning stoppage that interrupted play soon after Thapa’s goal. “You should not give any excuse,” he said. His assessment of the ten goals conceded across the Brazil and Uruguay matches was equally plain: “It is very bad.”
The coach kept returning to concentration. “Before the game, during the game also, the concentration should be good. No distractions should be there,” he said. Against teams capable of turning a loose pass or a moment’s hesitation into a goal, that is a demand India must meet throughout the match. “If the concentration is better, then we can do anything,” Jamil added.
The three weeks together gave the squad time to train, absorb Jamil’s ideas and test them in very different matches. Williams had welcomed that extended preparation before the first game. “Usually it’s 10 days, but we have three weeks together, which is a valuable, valuable time for us to connect more, get the ideas from the coach, try different things in training and then obviously three massive games that are obviously a huge test for us.”
Now India know more about how their shape holds under pressure, how quickly possession must become an attack, and how costly lapses can be. The next step is to turn those lessons into regular work. “We need to do more camps. We have to choose the correct players and see,” Jamil said. He has also called for more matches of this standard: “The more you play, the better. You have to play more matches. You have to have experience.”
Jamil took responsibility for the setbacks. “It is my mistake. I can’t blame anyone,” he said. His words to the players after Uruguay were protective and practical: “Don’t think that because of you, we have lost.” He urged them to return to their clubs and “give your best.”
Forlán left with appreciation for the country that had hosted his team. “We have to be grateful for the way they treat us. It was wonderful.”
The visitors have gone, leaving Williams’s run in Bengaluru, Thapa’s goal beneath the storm clouds in Kolkata, and three demanding scorelines for India to examine. The value of this window will be measured in what happens next: more time together, more chances to face strong opposition, and a team better able to carry its best moments through 90 minutes.
