On Saturday, March 26, 2022, the official Twitter handle of the Indian football team shared a bunch of pictures before the start of a friendly match with Belarus.
One of these pictures went viral, as it encapsulated the essence of what many netizens called: “unity in diversity”.
In the now-viral picture, one can see three players of the Indian men’s football team praying before the match. What makes the picture special is that the three players can be seen praying according to the customs of three different faiths.
All warmed up and ready! 💪🏼
Watch LIVE 🔴 here 👉 https://t.co/b9t6aw12aO#BLRIND ⚔️ #BackTheBlue 💙 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Lbz3p6fZiR
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 26, 2022
While sharing the picture, a Twitter user commented, “This photo of the Indian football team says a lot of India’s ‘real’ strength @IndianFootball”. Another user called the photograph, “Best Pic of Indian Football Team #indianfootball”.
Even though the Blue Tigers (as the team is fondly called) lost the match, their picture won the hearts of netizens.
A delightful picture of India’s real strength🇮🇳 💪#UnityInDiversity 🇮🇳#BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/9vRo4WVBxd
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) March 28, 2022
This photo of the Indian football team says a lot of India’s ‘real’ strength@IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/XBMQ5kjE74
— Gopals (@i_gopalsharma) March 28, 2022
Best Pic of Indian Football Team#indianfootball pic.twitter.com/L2Gep3AWGS
— Ashish Mehta (@anm1976in) March 27, 2022
Whether you open your hands in prayer or close them, #IndianFootball is for you, it is for everyone. #IndianFootballForwardTogether pic.twitter.com/G0d8Q8DNo7
— Voice of Indian Football (@VoiceofIndianF1) March 26, 2022
This is what India should strive for… What a beautiful gesture, Indian Football Team you have showcased to ponder over when our country is torn up in hatred..❤❤❤ pic.twitter.com/WfHJUo8kwj
— Sihab Neelambra (@neelambra_sihab) March 27, 2022
Moments before Indian Football team started their friendly game against Belarus.
Beautifully captured ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rp1Wx4bA8z
— Shilpak. (@ugach_kahitarii) March 26, 2022
This is Indian football team
This is India🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/IGqBhetAky— Samaniya Mushtaq (@rj_samaniya) March 28, 2022
Belarus won the match by scoring three goals in the second half. The friendly match was held in Bahrain as part of the preparations for the upcoming 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
According to Goal, an international football news website, this time the Indian team consisted of seven new players, namely Prabhsukhan Gill, Danish Farooq, Aniket Jadhav, Roshan Singh, VP Suhair, Hormipam Ruivah, and Anwar Ali. Seasoned players like Sunil Chhetri and Sahal Abdul Samad were unable to join the team owing to injuries.
