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The Indian Super League has now turned into the League to showcases young talents, as most of the world has access to the tournament, be it via T.V or on the internet. The world footballing fraternity which was until recently in the dark about Indian players except a few names, can now view established and upcoming Indian players on a weekly basis.
The wide reach and widespread viewership of the ISL has prompted football fans and pundits alike to get into lengthy discussions about the players on display. We have seen a lot of players turn into national sensations overnight, while some still have not been given their due credit.
Here, we take a look at five such Indian players who still remain underrated.
CK Vineeth
The Kerala-born striker who plays for the Kerala Blasters is a cult figure in Kochi. He has a huge fan following in God’s own country but the nationwide fans of the ISL still don’t give him the credit he deserves.
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Vineeth, being a winger by trade, is the joint highest goal scorer for the Kerala Blasters and had a big role to play in ensuring that Kerala made it to the finals last season. Even with the big role that he had to play for Kerala Blasters, Vineeth is still not regarded as one of the best Indian talents by various media outlets and fans alike. The best quality about Vineeth is his never-say-die attitude and willingness to given 110% on the pitch.
Interestingly, as of now, Vineeth (6) has scored more goals than a certain Iain Hume (5) in Kerala Blasters' colours.
Mehtab Hossain
The Claudio Makelele of Indian football, Mehtab has been one of the most underrated players in ISL. Even though Mehtab is a veteran of Indian football, he has never been given his due credit in ISL.
Mehtab was the main lynchpin in the Kerala Blasters midfield for the past three seasons and is now the main anchorman forISL debutants Jamshedpur FC. The Kerala defence, in the first three seasons, mainly the first and the third seasons, seemed to be leak-proof. The likes of Sandesh Jhingan and Cedric Hengbart looked like walls of steel, but this season the stature of Sandesh Jhingan and his defensive partner Lekic-Persic who on paper are a better defensive pair, no longer look unbeatable and have conceded some really silly goals.
The main reason for Kerala having such a strong defence in the first few seasons was that they had a man named Mehtab Hossain, acting as a screen in front of the back four.
Vicky Da, as he is commonly known among the fans in Kolkata, is a player that coaches give the task of carrying out a teams dirty work to. He is a master of hassling and harrying opponents. His best traits are his match-reading capabilities and strong tackles.
Harmanjot Singh Khabra
Mr Versatile from Punjab, Harmanjot Singh Khabra is an ISL winner with Chennaiyin FC. The likes of Jeje, Steven Mendoza, Elano are the players who people talk about whenever the topic of Chennaiyin’s title-winning season is up for discussion. Khabra is seldom talked about, but in all sense, Khabra had an equal contribution in ensuring that Chennaiyin were crowned champions.
Harmanjot Singh Khabra is one of the few players in Indian football who has practical experience in playing in nearly all outfield positions. Mainly a midfielder, Khabra has also been used as a right back extensively by Albert Roca at Bengaluru FC this season. His main traits are his anticipations and the amount of ground he covers during a game. The way Khabra uses his strengths to break down opposition attacks in the midfield or in defence is really worthy of praise.
Souvik Chakrabarty
Souvik has the distinction of being one of the few Indian players to play in every minute of his side’s ISL campaign. Souvik is another defensive midfielder by trade, who is versatile and can play as a central midfielder or as a wing back. He is one player who has been overlooked by the national team as well, for a long time.
Crisp accurate passing, ball wining tackles, and a cool head make Souvik one of those players who deserve a lot of credit. Yet, he isn’t acknowledged by the fans. Many of the ISL faithful still can’t recognise him and many don’t even remember him, even though he had a big role in ensuring that the Delhi Dynamos qualified for the semi finals last season.
Lalrindika Ralte
Lalrindika Ralte, without doubt, has the best left foot in Indian football. Dika, as he is commonly known, is an ISL winner with ATK and many people tend to forget that Dika has won the ISL. He was a favourite of former ATK coach Jose Molina last season.
Very few Indian players possess the creative qualities that Dika has. His touches, passes and vision are unmatched in Indian football. Dika though has been unlucky as he has had a more than a few injuries.
Whenever people talk about ATK’s title-winning 2016 campaign, the likes of Borja, Hume or Postiga are discussed. Dika had a big role in ensuring that Kolkata won some crucial games with his beautiful assists and in some cases even with goals. He is another player who has been used in multiple positions in ISL having played as a left winger, right winger and also as a central midfielder.
