Three-time I-League champion Deepak Devrani ready to take the next step

A few ISL clubs are interested in the experienced defender following his heroics with Gokulam Kerala.

Gokulam Kerala had a fantastic 2020-21 season. The Kozhikode outfit were crowned champions of the I-League in March and a month later their reserves team lifted the Kerala Premier League (KPL) title. Among the I-League-winning squad of Gokulam Kerala was the experienced defender Deepak Devrani. The centre-back from Delhi made 14 appearances in the league and registered four assists.

While it was their first-ever I-League win, Devrani had won it twice already - once each with Mohun Bagan and Minerva Punjab. Some fans have even started calling the defender a 'lucky charm,' as the title seems to be following him wherever he goes.

"I had never thought much about it (being a lucky charm) before, but after winning the trophy with Gokulam I got that feeling. While I was at Mohun Bagan, they won the league after about 19 years or so. When I joined Minerva Punjab they won their first-ever I-League. Now, at Gokulam I've once again become the part of a title-winning side for their first time, so who knows?" Devrani laughed, while speaking to Khel Now.

"But, I am not ready to give all the credit to luck," he further clarified. "All of us had worked really hard and there was also plenty of determination among us - and they played a very important role too."

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Move to Gokulam Kerala

After impressing for the likes of Bagan and Punjab, Deepak Devrani joined TRAU FC in 2019. He featured for the Imphal outfit in the 2019-20 edition of the I-League, before signing for the Malabarians last summer.

"I was with TRAU and they were interested to retain me for the 2020-21 season as well. Talks were going on. But, then one day, my agent called me and informed of the interest from Gokulam. The first thing I did was checking their squad and I was impressed. It was hence very easy for me to choose them. Factors such as the team they had, the management and their passion towards winning the league also helped me make my decision," he explained.

"I had some offers from the Indian Super League (ISL) too, but talks did not progress as well as I'd wanted - and soon I signed for GKFC."

Start of 2020-21 season

The centre-back briefly reflected on his performances and those of his Gokulam Kerala teammates as well, while describing their I-League 2020-21 campaign.

"I am proud to associate myself with such a team. But, I wouldn't call myself one of the most important members in their squad. Everyone contributed equally to the league success. Some of them - maybe they played fewer matches than the others, but whenever they played they were also very crucial," Devrani said. "Every match was important and it was a collective effort. I am happy to be a part of it and it's true that I also made a few contributions."

He went on, "We began with an online training session, before taking part in the IFA Shield where we lost in the semi-finals. That defeat was a slight setback because it caused doubts among fans. 'This team couldn't win the IFA Shield, how will they win the I-League?' was a common question that was asked about us."

Despite this initial setback, the team did not lose trust in themselves.

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"We continued to back ourselves, although we lost the first league game and narrowly lost the second too. We had a few injuries, matches were happening once every 3-4 days and we also had a small squad which was about 23-24 in November. It's true that we took some time to figure ourselves out, but once that was done there was no stopping us," the defender added.

The turning point

The turning point, Devrani recalled, was the win against Churchill Brothers on March 10.

"Before going for the match, we had decided that we did not want to lose it. As a team looking to win the I-League, beating the then table-toppers was a good start and that was what we aimed for," he said. GKFC went on to win that day, riding on Vanlalduatsanga's own-goal and Dennis Antwi's second half brace.

"The pressure immediately turned to Churchill. As far as we were concerned, we started the league slowly and gained momentum in the weeks that followed. We had already gone through pressure situations in the season's early stages, when we could actually afford them. Churchill's situation was different - their tough times came at a crucial period of time in the league and prevented them from playing freely. It all started with our win against them," he further added.

The final showdown

When asked to pick another important game for GKFC last season, Devrani understandably opted for their final match, against his former club and fellow title contenders TRAU FC on March 27. That was also the final day of the season and Churchill, who were also in the race to were playing RoundGlass Punjab.

But, things did not look well for the southerners initially. Bidyashagar Singh's 24th-minute strike helped TRAU to a 1-0 lead, which they held on to till the 70th minute. Then came Sharif Mukhammad's equalizer followed by Emil Benny's and Antwi's goals - within seven minutes, Gokulam turned the match entirely in their favour!

A goal by Muhammed Rashid in the eighth minute of injury-time was the final nail in TRAU's coffin and it sealed the deal for GKFC, as they won the I-League in style. Devrani credits that to the team's self belief, among other things.

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"We always believed in ourselves. We were 1-0 down at half-time, but there had been similar instances before where we had gone on to win the game. So, we knew we could make a difference in the second half," he said. "The problem was that we were not scoring. We created plenty of chances in the first half. Then at half-time, our coach came in and revealed what was going on at the Churchill game. 'They are winning 3-0, so everything that you need to do should be done in the next 45 minutes,' he reminded us."

Deepak Devrani further added, "We had been inside a bio-bubble for three months and trust me, it's not easy. But, we survived all of it. Now, we had only 45 more minutes to prove ourselves and that is exactly what we did."

Coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese

The 28-year-old only had nice things to say about Vincenzo Annese, the head coach of Gokulam Kerala. "He is up there among the best coaches I've played under. He won the league as well in his first-ever season in Indian football. There are not many coaches who have done that and the credit entirely goes to him and his methods," he said.

Devrani further added, "He is very passionate and always talks about football. One of the things that makes him standout is how he works with youngsters. He is very keen on youth development and used to give the GKFC youngsters additional training very frequently."

Teammates at GKFC

During the 2020-21 season, Deepak Devrani was an integral part of the Gokulam Kerala defence, where he struck up a solid partnership with Ghanaian Mohamed Awal. He also revealed that he was able to develop a special bond with Afghan midfielder Mukhammad.

"I am on good terms with everyone in the team irrespective of their age or positions on the pitch. We had some good young lads in Emil Benny, Alex Saji, Naocha Singh, Vincy Barretto and others. Among them, Emil impressed me the most. He had come from the reserve team and I initially presumed he was a bit lazy. However, those thoughts left me soon after when he showed his work-rate on the pitch. By the end of the season, he was not only a vital cog in the team's attack, but he also often helped out in defence," he said.

"The experience of Awal, Mukhammad, (Philip) Adjah and Antwi also helped. Among them, I would say I had a solid friendship with Mukhammad," the defender further added. "We were always training together and there were even occasions when the coach had to separate us and make us train with the others," he laughed.

Taking the next step

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Like the others playing in the I-League, Deepak Devrani also believes that he has a few more steps to take in his career. Despite his age and experience, the centre-back is yet to play in the ISL and for the national team.

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"I don't have solid offers from any ISL team currently. Ofcourse, some clubs have shown interest, but I can't commit unless I get concrete offers from them. Having won the I-League thrice and proven my abilities already, I strongly believe that I am ready for the next stage. Hence, I am open to a move to the ISL," he said, shedding light on his current situation.

National team hopes

Regarding his hopes of getting called up to the Indian football team, Deepak Devrani feels that perhaps he needs to work harder. "Like everyone else, it's my dream as well to play for India. But, I also understand that it's not easy for everyone to get a call-up to the senior team, so maybe I just have to work harder," he said.

He further went on, "But, in my opinion, players in the I-League also need to be considered. All of the players who were newly called up to the national team in March were playing in the I-League not so long ago. Some of them - like Akash Mishra, Ashutosh Mehta, Mashoor Shereef and so on - did not have ISL experience 6-8 months ago. The fact that they were able to show their quality as soon as they played there, means that you'll find many more players like them in the I-League. I strongly believe that this needs to be considered by the national team think-tank."

"In my case, I am working hard, so let's see. I want to be ready when the coach (Igor Stimac) calls for me," Deepak Devrani concluded.

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