Is Pandita the answer to Indian scoring woes ?

When is the last time you saw an Indian scorer for the national team other than Sunil Chettri?. Len doungel’s header against Afghanistan could be considered the last. Ever since Jeje lalpekhlua has faded off the scene with his injuries and inconsistency, there hasn’t been a prolific scorer for the national team other than Chettri. This may be a direct result of players not playing in the striking position for the ISL clubs. Coaches prefer to play much reliable foreign strikers at the position hampering the chances for the Indian players and leaving them with choices to either wait on the bench or play out wide. Clearly, this hasn’t gone well for the national team as the players straight-up lack the skills to finish or just do not have the confidence to do so.

This season of Hero ISL proves to be different and like a breath of fresh air, has seen few good Indian goal scorers coming into the limelight, either in the form of well-known names such as Halicharan Nazary, Manvir Singh, lalrinzuala chhangte, or the newer additions like Liston Colaco, Bipin Singh, Rahul K P, Ishan Pandita etc. Manvir Singh, though being the mainstay for the national team is playing out wide, still managing to do himself and the team good by scoring 5 goals. The focus here would be on the new and much-hyped youngster Ishan Pandita.

Playing for the youth teams of Spanish teams, Pandita went and played abroad, something that most Indian footballers don’t prefer. It is easier to say that he looks better than he would be staying in India. Ishan moved to India after new coach Juan Ferrando convinced him over breakfast in Madrid. He scored all his goals coming off of the bench, evidently as his competition is with the prolific Spanish striker Igor Angulo. Many football experts termed him to be lucky when he got the first two goals, but he chipped in with two more and started giving some doubts to their statements. It’s tough to assess Ishan’s full potential with the limited amount of time he had on the pitch. But the more he plays the more convincing he looks.

Having said that there is still a big question mark lurking around Indian football that begs to be answered. With the emergence of goal scorers like Manvir and Ishan Indian fans hope to find the answers. As one thing that an Indian football fan is not deprived of is Hope.

~ Sangamesh B Tondihal

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