Strong men do cry

Let's go home," Sunil whispered in my ears after playing his last international match and crying his heart out at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata. Perhaps he knew that I, and all others in the family, wanted him to continue, but what would make us happier is to see him spend more time at home.

- SONAM BHATTACHARYA, Niladry Sarkar

We have not yet come to terms with the fact that Sunil Chhetri has retired from the Indian team.

A month ago, when he told us after meeting his grandmother that the June 6 match would be his last, we thought he was joking. I asked him if he wanted to wait for some more time; if India were to qualify for the third round, then matches would become tougher and the team would need him. He, however, convinced us that Indian football was now ready to go ahead without him.