IMPHAL: Putting on the national team jersey for the first time and walking out onto a pitch surrounded by fans cheering them on is a dream that most kids nurse at some point and it became a reality for Mehtab Singh, Naorem Mahesh Singh and Ritwik Kumar Das, when they took the field during India’s match against Myanmar in the opening game of the Tri-nation international football tournament.
On Wednesday, Mehtab, Mahesh and Ritwik were added to the elite list of players who have represented the Indian football team. The three have impressed with their performances, both in domestic football, and in the camp with the national team, and have finally earned the right of passage.
Centre-back Mehtab Singh was given the unenviable role of protecting the Indian goal, as he started for the Blue Tigers, alongside Chinglensana Singh, and proceeded to keep a clean sheet.
“I really enjoyed my debut. We won the match, and even managed to keep a clean sheet. As a defender, that’s something special, maybe as good as getting a goal. I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a kid,” Mehtab told aiff.com.
The young defender, who hails from a family of farmers in Punjab, felt that the 1-0 win, was in a way, bigger for him than scoring a goal.
“As a defender, it becomes a responsibility to not let the opposition sniff a goal, and to be a platform for the rest of the team to launch forward from,” he said. IANS
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