Our factory team lost to a lad from Dimapur last season, bhaina—he danced through our defence like it was nothing. When I saw him signing for a big ISL club later, I just smiled into my tea. The best ones always come from where people don’t think to look.

Achha, and that East Bengal penalty appeal yesterday? Bhaina, I saw it from the north stand myself—the lad stepped on the ball like our junior accountant on a spreadsheet, pure confusion. The referee was standing right there, three feet away; if you need a video replay to see that stumble, you are not watching the game, you are watching the TV. My Bhutu started barking at the commotion when I came home, and I told him, “Baba, at least you know when a step is wrong without a replay.