It is a new beginning for former FIFA U-17 World Cupper Abhijit
Sarkar, who is about to begin his maiden season in the Hero Indian Super League
for Chennaiyin FC at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Tuesday, November 24.
The young playmaker has steadily progressed through the ranks from
the AIFF Elite Academy to Indian Arrows, followed by a stint in East Bengal
last season, before finally landing up in Chennaiyin for the current campaign.
“It’s a new team for me. So it took some time for me to adjust to
the new staff and new teammates. But day-by-day, I have become comfortable with
everyone, as all my teammates have been very accommodating,” said Sarkar. “We
are sweating it out every day, and I’m really excited about the start of the
Hero ISL.”
The 20-year-old has fond memories with his former India U-17 and
Indian Arrows mates, many of whom have themselves signed for different Hero ISL
sides. Indeed, Sarkar highlighted a kind of brotherhood that has developed
between the players, who spent years playing exposure matches in preparation
for the World Cup in 2017, followed by two seasons at the Indian Arrows.
“I really miss those days when we were all training together for the
World Cup. I miss all my friends from that team. They’re all like my brothers,”
reminisced Sarkar. “That experience of playing in the World Cup, and all the
exposure matches that we played in the months leading up to the World Cup have
helped me a lot.”
While some of the former Arrows boys like Deepak Tangri, Samik Mitra
and Aman Chetri will be joining Abhijit at Chennaiyin this season, it is a
separate matter when these “brothers” square-off against other former Arrows
cadets who are now playing for other sides.
“After the game, of course, we go back to being brothers again. We
all speak to each other over the phone, and we talk about our games, so that
camaraderie has always remained,” he stated.
After the World Cup, the attacking midfielder spent two seasons at
Indian Arrows, where he got the invaluable experience of playing against senior
teams while he was still a teenager.
“We learned a lot from the two years that we played in the Indian
Arrows. That experience of playing against senior players at such an early
stage in our career was a huge boon for us,” he said.
While the 20-year-old has already amassed the unique experience of
playing in a World Cup, followed by three seasons in senior football, is now
set for an altogether unique episode of Indian football – inside a COVID-safety
bubble.
“This is a new experience, not just for me, but for everyone inside
the bubble. Being in the bubble and the quarantine is something that we are all
getting used to. But the focus is on football when we train,” said Sarkar. “So
despite everything that’s happening around us, we keep improving every day on
the training pitch. This is my first time in the Hero ISL, so I am doubly
focused on improving my game and proving myself.”
Epdths
May 05, 2021 22:27 [IST]