Chak De! India, yoga: Chile prepare for big test
KOLKATA: From watching ‘Chak De! India’ to taking yoga classes and training in Kolkata-like sultry conditions, the Chileans are not leaving any stone unturned in their bid for the maiden FIFA U-17 World Cup title.
The Hernan Caputo-coached 21-member squad and his support staff were seen watching the 2007 Shah Rukh Khan blockbuster with rapt attention at a theatre. “This visit was appreciated by all in the delegation, especially because the film tells the story of how a group of women hockey players emerge World Cup winners conquering all odds,” read a post on their official website.
“Chak De! India”, the movie that inspires #Larojasub17,” they posted on their official Twitter handle.
The special afternoon screening was arranged by Anurag Chourasia, CEO of the movie’s distributor, and it happened two days before they headed off to an ‘unknown’ destination in India.
The conditions may be new to them but coach Hernan Caputo, a former Argentine goalkeeper, ensured that they have a feel of the same at home. The La Roja U-17 trained in sauna-like condi- tions of 35-degree centigrade and a humidity of 95 per cent, the video of which was posted on their official Twitter handle.
“#Larojasub17 performs physical activity at high temperature (35° and 95% humidity), same conditions that we will find in India,” the post read referring to Kolkata’s sultry weather.
They also took yoga classes from Bikram Choudhury, a Kolkata-born Hatha Yoga teacher, and posted a video with a caption “Mind, Body and Soul”. “#Larojasub17 is in Bikram classes, yoga mode that helps us get used to the heat of India. That’s how it works,” the post read.