Why a team of Aussie footy greats are about to make history by playing a BRUTAL sport you’ve never heard of – and 300 million people will be watching

A group of AFL greats are readying themselves to play an Indian sport loved by hundreds of millions in a stunning match while Australia’s cricketers face India in the Boxing Day Test next month.

India‘s iconic sport Kabaddi is due to make its Aussie debut in Melbourne, with a professional team gearing up to play an exhibition match against an AFL-heavy Australian side at John Cain Arena on December 28.

Former Hawks star Campbell Brown, who is the coach of the team and captained Australia’s side in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, has assembled a team featuring some household names to take on the Indians. 

‘A big day for Australian sport as a nation,’ Brown told SEN.

‘Australians love their sport, it doesn’t matter whether it’s football, cricket, badminton, boxing, hockey, they really get behind their national side.

‘I’ve got no doubt they’ll do it again on the 28th of December. I was at John Cain Arena for a press conference with the premier, Jacinta Allan, where she announced that Australia would be playing a pro Kabaddi team.

‘We’re ready to rock and roll. I’ve got Josh Kennedy, he’s my captain. I’ll hand over the captaincy to him.

‘He will represent Australia in Kabaddi with aplomb, just like I did eight years ago in 2016 over there in Ahmedabad.’

Kennedy has flown to India to get a crash course in the sport, which is often attended by 60,000 spectators at a time and watched by hundreds of millions on TVs around the nation.

The sport is sometimes described as a combination of rugby, tag and British bulldog.

‘It’s intense. It’s flat-out. It’s physical. It’s very quick,’ Kennedy told Seven News.

‘Whether it’s tag or British bulldog, we’ve all played some form of it as a child.

‘I probably underestimated the physicality of the sport. 

‘I was thinking, “Gee, what have I got myself into here. This is pretty full-on”. So I’d better get ready.’

It won’t just be former footy stars in the Aussie team, with two Olympians, past and present, also participating.

 ‘I’ve also got a couple of Olympians up my sleeve, just in case I need them for a bit of gold medal experience,’ Brown said.

‘There’s going to be 12,000 people on day three of the Boxing Day Test. The Indian fans will watch Virat Kohli bat and then waltz across the footbridge and participate in their second favourite sport behind cricket, which is Kabaddi.

‘It will be a great evening of entertainment.’

Victorian Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos estimated the games in Melbourne could be watched by as many as 300 million people due to the sport’s incredible popularity on the subcontinent. 

Ex-AFL players confirmed for the Australian team are: Campbell Brown (coach); Josh P. Kennedy (captain); Dyson Heppell; Marc Murphy; Dan Hannebery; Michael Hibberd; Trent McKenzie; Liam Shiels.

The Aussies will play against a professional team prior to the main event between two all-star Indian teams from the Pro Kabaddi League.

Tickets for the event are available through Ticketmaster.