Indian street kid dubbed 'Scrumdog Millionaire' after winning £40K rugby scholarship

London, May 22 (ANI): An Indian kid from the slums has earned himself the name 'Scrumdog millionaire' after he won a 40,000 pounds rugby scholarship at a top British academy.

Sailen Tudu, 20, who is a talented full-back, first set eyes on a rugby ball five years ago.

And when former British diplomat Paul Walsh spotted him playing barefoot with slum kids - he flew him to the UK to meet rugby star Phil Vickery.

The ex-England captain, 34, was so impressed with Tudu's skills that he helped him land a place at posh Hartpury College, Gloucs, to study for a diploma in sport.

Tudu has now been dubbed Scrumdog Millionaire - after the Slumdog movie about a street kid who wins a game show.

"I'm so lucky," the Sun quoted Tudu, who is tipped for a pro career and has been capped for India already, as saying.

His astonishing journey began when his family moved from a mud hut in the village of Bhengam to Calcutta in 2005 and he started playing on a patch of wasteland.

"Everyone in the village is so proud," his dad Sudhir Chandra, 65, said.

Vickery added: "His story takes you back to the game's roots. It's fantastic." (ANI)