Kolkata, Oct. 7 -- Former Indian skipper and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Sourav Ganguly backed India's need to regularly face stronger opposition in football, saying matches against teams such as Uruguay provide valuable exposure and experience.

He urged fans not to focus solely on the result or scoreline, stressing that competing against superior teams is essential for the Indian side's development and improvement.

India suffered a heavy 6-1 defeat to Uruguay at Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday. Anirudh Thapa provided a brief moment of joy for the home side with a historic goal, but Uruguay quickly regained control and went on to dominate the match.

"They (Indian team) need to play more of these. That's the only way they...