Vishal Kaith hits road to redemption with Durand Cup performances after India snub

The custodian proved his mettle and helped his side reach the tournament’s final.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant secured a place in the final of the 2024 Durand Cup thanks to a penalty shootout win over Bengaluru FC and Vishal Kaith’s heroics in the semi-final on Tuesday at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. After the regulation period, the match ended on a 2-2 scoreline, and penalties were required to determine a winner. 

That is when Vishal Kaith again emerged as the key individual at the Durand Cup for the Mariners. Following the club’s penalty shootout win against Punjab FC in the quarter-finals, the pressure was certainly intense on the custodian to help the team go through once again.

In an astonishing display of courage and determination, Vishal Kaith saved two penalties from Halicharan Narzary and Aleksandar Jovanovic to help Mohun Bagan reach the final of the Durand Cup for the second time in a row by defeating the Blues 4-3 in the shootout.

Snubbed from the Indian football team

Vishal Kaith’s sensational performance in the 2024 Durand Cup comes after getting snubbed from the Indian football team’s list of 26 probables for the preparatory camp for the Intercontinental Cup due to take place in the upcoming international break.

Manolo Marquez, the new head coach of the Indian football team, overlooked Vishal Kaith which came as a huge surprise to a large chunk of the football community in India. The FC Goa head coach, who will juggle both club and international duty alternatively, picked Gurpreet Singh, Amrinder Singh and Prabhsukhan Singh Gill as the goalkeepers in the list of 26 probables.

Vishal Kaith’s omission came as a shock and his recent performances in the 2024 Durand Cup exposed the decision to overlook him for the national duty to be impractical. Thanks to his valiant performances at the tournament for the Mariners, Manolo might be compelled to rethink his strategy going into the international break. 

Vishal Kaith’s heroics

The 2023-24 season saw Vishal Kaith finish as the joint-top in most clean sheets kept. He recorded nine clean sheets and played a key role in Mohun Bagan’s winning the ISL League Winners’ Shield. Now, the custodian has the chance to secure a second successive Durand Cup title with the Mariners when the side meets NorthEast United in the final.

Manolo Marquez’s decision to overlook Vishal Kaith would look even more questionable if the custodian went on to win the tournament with Mohun Bagan SG.

There will be more pressure on the Spanish tactician to include him in the probables list. Whether Kaith makes it into the Indian squad or not, it is safe to say he is the goalkeeper to watch out for once again ahead of the 2024-25 Indian Super League term. 

.@vishalkaith01 SUPREMACY! 🫡💚♥️#MBSG #JoyMohunBagan #আমরাসবুজমেরুন pic.twitter.com/CE0KaMoe8r

— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) August 27, 2024

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