Bollywood stars give cricketers tough time in charity football match. Virat Kolhi-led cricketers finish 4-3 winners as Delhi enjoys 90 minutes of action & entertainment

The contest wasn’t expected to be an evenly-matched affair. But all credit to Abhishek Bachchan-led All Stars Football Club (ASFC) for putting up a gritty display against Virat Kohli’s All Heart Football Club (AHFC) during a charity football match at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on Saturday.

The proceeding which were seemingly tilted towards the cricketers till half time, AHFC having led 3-1, some balance was restored when the Bollywood brigade started raiding the rival half more often. However, their attempts were not enough as the Kohli & Co finished 4-3 winners. And, had Ranbir Kapoor, who reportedly had been practising for the match for some months. But, for the spectators it was more than they had asked for. For many had certainly not expected 90 minutes of action and the men from Mumbai to not only last that but make their presence felt.

Perhaps it served as the perfect excuse for a change, but football for a change gave Delhiites a fitting carnival to enjoy on the weekend. As Kohli led his red bunch, including the likes of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and others out to take field against Bachchan Jr, Ranbir, Marc Robinson and other film and television celebrities in blue, the fans also flaunted their Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona colours. The vendors in the stands, selling their chips, soft drinks and eatables at an expectedly higher rate gave that perfect touch to the fest.

The moves and technicalities just seemed a mere formality to follow as the sheer sight of a certain Yuvraj ending up being flagged for offside again and again, getting irked as a reason, trying to question the line referee’s credentials was more fun to watch. Kohli trying to lead by example by being everywhere, Dhoni once again showcasing his football skills by orchestrating the moves and Ishant Sharma proving safe hands under the bar was almost how the cricketers’ side of story turned out to be. In between, Tanmay Shrivastav, who was a part of the cricket team that won the 2008 under-19 world cup under Kohli’s captaincy, opened the scoring for the AHFC, Manoj Tiwary’s brace earned him the Man of the Match award and Dhoni provided the finishing with the last goal.

ASFC, on their part, proved quite a few doubters wrong. They not only tackled well, made some smart moves, missed a couple of scoring opportunities, but almost matched their rival athletes when it came to stamina. If Abhishek’s years of supporting Chelsea kept him in good stead as a midfielder at large, Ranbir’s skills as Barcelona follower were more than evident. Missing the penalty, though, was something he seemed to have picked up from some other team. Donning a red headband, making himself easier to identify on a star-laden field, much to his fans’ joy, the Kapoor boy made amends for that by slotting home the third one goal of his side after Shabir Ahluwalia made it 1-1 for them and ASFC scored the second through a penalty.

From the sidelines, Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chettri, the former and current Indian national football team captain respectively, played their parts as coaches with much gusto. Whether, their wards for the day heard or listened to them is another story though. However, in a country where no sport even comes anywhere close to cricket, a football team captain (Chettri) giving out instructions to the cricket skipper (Dhoni) made for quite a delightful role reversal for two games that are poles apart in their status in India.

Bhaichung, meanwhile, turning up in his immaculate style to look the perfect coach to celebrities’ team, didn’t need to be as much of an active participant as Chettri. For, he and all present knew for sure that his ASFC was playing more with instinct than the rule book. They might have lost this one, that too narrowly, but they didn’t leave without having dared the winners for giving them a chance to turn the tables on them soon.

And, if Abhishek has his way, he might be hosting the cricketing bunch in Mumbai soon for a take at revenge.