Hyderabad, March 12 -- The chief coach of the Indian football team, Manolo Marquez has persuaded the 40-year-old Sunil Chhetri to come out of international retirement and once again don the nation's jersey in matches against India's rivals. While Manolo may have temporarily filled the big gap in the front line of the team, the move has exposed a glaring lacuna in Indian football.

The recall of Chhetri has raised an important question: Why does a country of 1.4 billion people have no other football player who can score goals? His departure seemed to have plunged Indian football into complete darkness.

Dismal picture

In the last few contests, Indian football has presented a dismal picture. Out of 11 matches that the team played, it won n...