This is not impossible considering that Indian team is most likely to be pitted against their Australian counterpart during the 62nd Annual Horse Show and Polo Tournament. The event kicked off on March 4 and will continue till the end of this month.

“Australia seems to be the team of the season. After our victory in the ODI series, we thought it was a good idea to invite the Australian team,” smiles Raj Shroff, president, managing committee, ARC, who promises to make this tournament an annual feature. “We hope to do so every March,” he adds.

As for such upsurge in polo-related activities in Mumbai Shroff says, “The city is waking up to the thrills of polo though its response to the sport is not as encouraging as it is in places like Jaipur, Jodhpur and Delhi.”

It was the Mughal emperor Babar, who firmly established the popularity of this equestrian sport. It started losing its ground in mainland India during the British rule, though its regal status remained intact. Fortunately for the world, the game survived in some remote mountainous enclaves of the sub-continent.

The Night Arena Polo-which the ARC would host as often as they can-is aimed to draw working professionals. “A number of professionals are members of the ARC and are ardent fans of Polo. But their timings do not allow them pursue it,” explains Shroff. The timing of introducing this couldn’t have been better. “Polo cannot be played during the day in summers due to the heat,” says Shroff.