Abhijit Sarkar: Focused on proving myself in the ISL

The FIFA U-17 World Cup starlet will make his debut in the ISL with Chennaiyin FC this season.

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.

“Of course, when we are playing against each other, we are all enemies,” laughed Abhijit Sarkar. “During a game, you don’t see who is your friend. We are all friends off the pitch, and we all keep in touch. But there’s no love lost during the match.

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“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 Abhijit 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.”