There are Big 4, (may be Big 5) in the World
USA, Russia, China, India, (Brazil)
No UK
No Germany
No France
No Small Jap
Are you joking, mate?
Japan, Germany, France, the UK and Russia dwarf India in every field: economy, technology, military and soft power !
Japan are Germany are probably 100 years ahead of India in technology!
Which one of above will lose to India in a war? Or in techonology or in world-wide influence? NONE!
For God's sake, India can hardly compare with S Korea (46 million population). If North and South Korea united one day, the Korea as a whole would definitely beat India in most fields - economy, technology AND millitary.
Currently India is indeed even behind Brazil (with population of 190 million, less than 1/6 of India's)!
On softpower, can bollywood be remotely close to Brazilian Samba?
Not to mention Canada and Australia. India only slightly surpassed these two in overall GDP size, considering either Canada or Australia having tiny population ( about 20 million, 1/60 of that of India). If CA and AUS absorb some millions of new immigrants from China, Europe, the UK, etc. in the future ( easily, given they have huge lands), they would get on top of India again.
The thread's leading article is right!
Make no mistake, India would be very lucky to be within the top 10 in the foreseeable future!