Souvik Das keen for 'step up' after years of impressing in I-League

The 25-year-old made 14 appearances for RoundGlass Punjab in the 2020-21 season.

The 2020-21 edition of the I-League was quite unlike previous seasons. For starters, the entire league was conducted in a bio-bubble in the state of West Bengal, across three months. The format of the league also changed to accommodate two different phases. Gokulam Kerala became champions, while the likes of Churchill Brothers, TRAU FC and RoundGlass Punjab fought hard for the title till the end. The season also saw the emergence of a few remarkable players and RGPFC's Souvik Das was one of them.

Das is a former Minerva Punjab player and has also captained India at the U-19 level. In a recent interaction with Khel Now, he spoke on a host of topics including his initiation to the game, club career so far and hopes of playing for the Blue Tigers.

Introduction to game

Like most kids in India, Souvik Das forayed into the world of sports via cricket, before shifting to football. "I'll make it short because it's a long story. We're two brothers - I'm the younger one and my elder brother is now a teacher in Pune. As kids, both of us wanted to play cricket because of Sourav Ganguly, who was our idol. Football came into our lives a little later, that too by chance," he said.

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"At one point of time in our lives, we had to relocate to another town. Near to our new house was a football coaching camp. Our interest in the game began from there. I later moved to other reputed football academies, before eventually playing for my state. Soon, I got selected to play for the India U-14, U-16 and U-19 teams. All of this was a step-by-step process.

He further added, "I also had the good fortune to be a part of the AIFF Elite Academy at one stage and did well there too. For any footballer, if his or her basics are right, you can develop well. It's at the AIFF Academy that I made my basics strong and that has played a big role in how well I've done as a footballer in the past few years."

Finally, Sporting Clube de Goa came calling and that is where he started his professional career. In the summer of 2014, Das left the AIFF Academy and joined Sporting.

Playing for India youth teams

Souvik Das also touched upon his stints with the national team at various junior levels. "I've represented India at the AFC U-16 and U-19 Championships. I've played at an AFC U-14 tournament too, although it wasn't an official competition. As a player, it's everyone's biggest dream to play for his or her own country and I'm happy to say that I've gotten a taste of it, although not at the senior level, not yet.

"Personally, I feel that being a part of the youth sides in the national team setup is like a path towards that senior team call-up which everyone wants. As a junior national team player, I now have the experience of playing outside India and facing the pressure of representing the country. Facing teams from other countries has also helped me find out where I'm lacking, like physical attributes for instance. Knowing what you have to improve is always the first step towards making that improvement," he explained.

Early club career

Very few people know that the versatile player was a part of two Goa Pro League-winning sides, once with Sporting and later with Salgaocar FC.

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"I spent the earliest years of my club career at Sporting Clube de Goa and Salgaocar FC. I've won the GPL with both teams. They're both really good clubs, that's all I have to say about them, especially for the local players. That's a common trait among all Goan teams. FC Goa is also following the same model," he pointed out.

"For outsiders - I wouldn't say it's difficult - but it's not exactly home, I hope you understand.

"Afterwards, I joined Minerva Punjab. They're like family for me. When I first signed for them and later other clubs started asking for me, my transfer fee was high. That meant I couldn't shift bases for a while - and initially I was very unhappy about it. Slowly, that changed, as Minerva Punjab began helping me a lot in my development. With them, I got plenty of I-League experience and that helped me grow," he went on.

"At Minerva Punjab, I also won the I-League in the 2017-18 season. To-date, people seem to wonder how we did it back then. The experienced players you know today were new faces back then. Truth be told, all of them - including myself - struggled a lot throughout the season. But, despite all the hardships, we remained united as a team. I guess that also helped and credit should fully go to Ranjit Bajaj. He toiled to keep us working together and I guess we got rewarded for all of it in the end," Das added.

RoundGlass Punjab & 2020-21 season

After starting the season with a win, RoundGlass Punjab had a mixed outing throughout their I-League 2020-21 campaign. They eventually settled for fourth place, with six wins and four draws from 15 matches.

For a side that were regarded as one of the favourites to win the league, finishing fourth was a below-par result. When asked about it, Souvik Das reminded that the team faced many issues along the way.

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"If you talk about our strength on-paper, yes, our team was really good. But, we had a few issues like injuries and lack of experience. For instance, our centre-back options were some of the youngest in the I-League. They did very well throughout the season, no doubt about it. But still, there were moments along our campaign where a lack of experience may have cost us," he conceded.

"This is just an example. What happened in our second league game against Gokulam Kerala is a case in point. We were leading 3-1 at one stage, before they struck thrice and won 4-3. All the goals that we conceded happened due to a lack of experience - not knowing what to do at the right time. All of us have surely learned a lot more by now and I'm sure such mistakes won't be made again. But, this is my explanation for what happened last season, and why RoundGlass Punjab could not perform up to expectations, despite having a reasonably strong side on-paper," the 25-year-old further added.

"In terms of my own performances, I feel that I've developed in terms of decision-making. I've improved in terms of maturity and that has helped me take better decisions both on and off the pitch. If you want a rating, I would give myself a 3.5 out of 5."

Future plans

After performing consistently well in the I-League for many seasons now - also winning the title once - Souvik Das understandably feels that the time is right for him to take the next step.

"Surely, a move to the Indian Super League (ISL) is what I would be gunning for. I have years of experience in the I-League now and the ISL would be the obvious step up in my playing career. I do have some offers from the I-League, but let me see if I have a shot at the ISL first," he smiled.

The 25-year-old also revealed that he is more of a 'coach's player,' indicating that he has the ability to play wherever his boss would want him to.

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"If you had asked me about my favourite position a few years, I would have said 'midfield.' But, I'm afraid I can't say so anymore, as I've since played at full-back and also as a winger at times. I've liked both and hence I feel that I can try to make an impact irrespective of the responsibility that my coach assigns me," he said.

Hopes of senior national team call-up

Apart from playing in the ISL, Das also harbours hopes of playing for the Blue Tigers one day.

"Having played for India at the junior levels, I know how badly I want to don the the national colours at the senior level too. It's my ultimate dream. That's also one reason why I want to move to the Indian Super League because it may help in my development even more," he said. When asked if India head coach Igor Stimac's comments on I-League and ISL players had any impact on him, the RGPFC star expressed disappointment at the Croatian, who in March seemed to imply that only players in the latter league had enough quality to play for the national team.

"Obviously, as a player who has been a part of the I-League for the past few years, I was rather disappointed and sad to hear coach Stimac's comments. Hopefully, such a divide is ended soon - and hopefully I get to play for the senior national team soon," Souvik Das concluded on a positive note.

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