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Hans India
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
First-timers Suhail Bhat, Nikhil Prabhu, Hrithik Tiwari dream of a bigger future in Blue Tigers colours
Kolkata: Every senior national team camp is a home of dreams. Dreams of the first training session, the first step onto the pitch wearing the blue of India, the first cap, the first goal. In Kolkata this time, three newcomers resonate with that - Suhail Ahmad Bhat, Nikhil Prabhu, and Hrithik Tiwari. Bhat, aged 20, the youngest member of the camp, was two months old when Sunil Chhetri made his senior India debut and scored his first goal. Now, the two strikers train together on the same pitch. It's perhaps impossible to find any young Indian striker who doesn't idolise Chhetri. "It is surreal to train with Chhetri bhai, and have conversations with him. I always wanted to know how it feels to be with him," Bhat told the AIFF's website. "It was a dream to be here in the senior team. After beginning with the U16s and gradually climbing the ladder to the U19s and U23s, the hunger to be in the senior national team always remained. It isn't easy to come here, it needs a lot of hard work. The best players in the country are here, so it's a dream come true for me to be here and train with these guys. Bhat, who plays his club football for Mohun Bagan SG, has played U16 and U23 internationals for India. He was part of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers squad in 2023 at just 18 years of age. After three days of training with the senior team, Suhail shared the difference he has felt after the step up. "I can see the difference clearly. We represent the country in the youth team as well, but the senior team is totally different. The competition is much higher. The gap is much bigger. "I dream of making my debut. Not just for me, but also for my family and the entire Kashmir. My dream is Kashmir's dream. I'll keep working really hard," Suhail added. Defensive midfielder Nikhil Prabhu is also living the dream of the first camp, but feels it is just the start. "The call-up felt like a dream coming true, not just mine, but also my parents'. I knew I was living the dream I had worked so hard for, but at the same time, I felt that this was just the beginning of the journey," Prabhu said. The 24-year-old put on consistent performances for Punjab FC in the Indian Super League this season, with India head coach Manolo Márquez especially impressed with his versatility and duels. "At the club, you play alongside foreigners and have a certain style of setup. But in the national team, you are playing with some of the names you have grown up watching, and that itself brings a special kind of feeling and responsibility," Prabhu said. 'The atmosphere in the camp has been really positive. I am learning a lot from my teammates and seniors, both on and off the pitch. I had been working hard on the field and waiting patiently for this opportunity," he added. For goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari, the camp presents a significant learning opportunity to not just learn from the best custodians in India but also compete against them and earn a spot in the matchday squad. "The camp environment has been amazing, very professional, but also incredibly warm and welcoming. Training at this level, especially as a goalkeeper, pushes you every single day. I'm really enjoying it and learning a lot from experienced keepers like Amrinder (Singh) paaji, Vishal (Kaith) bhai, and Gurmeet (Singh) bhai, some of the best goalkeepers in the country." Manolo Marquez, who is also Tiwari's coach at FC Goa, perceives a successful future for him, stating that the 23-year-old would be a top goalkeeper in India. The national team camp is the start of the journey to the top. "Getting the call-up was an unbelievable moment, something I've dreamed about since I first started playing football. I've worked really hard over the years and made a lot of sacrifices, so this means everything to me, my family, and everyone who's supported me along the way. It's also a reminder that the hard work doesn't stop here," Tiwari shared.
Hans India
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Kalinga Super Cup: Mohun Bagan SG sail past Kerala Blasters to seal SF spot
Bhubaneswar: The young guns of Mohun Bagan Super Giant defeated Kerala Blasters FC 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 here on Saturday. The ISL Shield and Cup-winning Mariners, fielding an all-Indian squad except for Portuguese defender Nuno Reis, scored once in each half through Sahal Abdul Samad (22') and Suhail Ahmad Bhat (51'). Sreekuttan MS (90+4') pulled one back for the Blasters, but it was too little, too late as Mohun Bagan SG, helped by a solid performance from goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, entered the semifinals. Bastab Roy's side will face the winners of the clash between FC Goa and Punjab FC in the semifinal on April 30. The game began at a leisurely pace, with both teams not committing many bodies in the opposition half. After 20 minutes of no goalmouth action, Mohun Bagan SG churned out the opener with their first meaningful attack of the match. With some lightning-quick footwork, Salahudheen Adnan twisted and turned past left-back Naocha Singh and slipped a cross into the six-yard box. Getting on the end of it was Sahal Abdul Samad, who, with a drop of a shoulder, swiftly evaded Ruivah Hormipam's challenge and dinked the ball over goalkeeper Sachin Suresh to make it 1-0 in the 22nd minute. From then on, it was all Kerala Blasters, who were left rattled by the Mariners and grew desperate for the equaliser. Noah Sadaoui, scorer of a stunning long ranger against East Bengal, tried the same trick once again, cutting in from the right and shooting from distance. But he didn't get enough elevation, and the ball landed straight into the gloves of Dheeraj Singh. The Blasters became increasingly dangerous from short corners. In the 30th minute, after playing a one-two with Vibin Mohanan, Sadaoui drilled a low cross that was hacked clear by Dippendu Biswas. Later, from another short corner, Hormipam's cross-turned-shot almost landed in the top corner, with Dheeraj doing well to tip it over. In the first half of added time, Mohammed Aimen was fed on the left wing by Vibin. The midfielder cut in from the left before seeing his right-footer swerve over the bar. Before Kerala Blasters could even get into gear for the second half, Mohun Bagan SG scored another goal. When Sachin produced a wonderful one-on-one save to deny Salahudheen in the 47th minute, it wasn't enough of a wake-up call for David Català's side. Just four minutes later, Ashique Kuruniyan created the second goal from the left flank. The Indian international skipped past Hormipam and squared an inch-perfect ball into the six-yard box for Suhail Ahmad Bhat to guide it into the net with ease. The rest of the second half was all about Dheeraj Singh keeping the Kerala Blasters forward at bay, but it wasn't until after Jesús Jiménez missed a couple of gilt-edged chances – half-volleying over the bar in the 65th minute and then curling it wide of the far post after going clean through on goal in the 67th. Three minutes later, Dheeraj palmed over substitute Kwame Peprah's right-footed shot from a narrow angle. With just five minutes to go, Peprah tried to set up Jiménez with a low cross into the six-yard box, but the Spaniard couldn't sort his feet out quickly enough and missed it completely. Dheeraj again made himself big to deny Peprah from six yards before Ebindas Y's attempt on the rebound was cleared off the line by Amandeep. The Mohun Bagan custodian was finally beaten in the 94th minute when Jiménez slipped a neat ball for Sreekuttan on the right. The substitute thrashed it over Dheeraj and into the back of the net, but it only turned out to be a consolation strike.
