India, Aug. 29 -- How do 42,522 contacts on a mobile phone constitute part of India's National Sports Day? Without representing records or medals, or even the many thousand crore being sprinkled through Indian sport via khelos, policies and master plans.

But those phone contacts are as much a part of Indian sport in 2026 as the headliners we read and hear about. Those numbers are housed in a Samsung Galaxy S22 whose owner, Bengaluru-based Paul Richu, or Paul R as he is known, is a segment of contemporary India's sporting community.

These are people currently working in Indian sport - athlete managers, coaches, parents, athletes seeking post-retirement careers, event organisers, venue managers, team owners, sports science folk, data anal...