Narender Gahlot marked a successful debut season in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) establishing himself as a key part of Jamshedpur FC’s backline. Making 11 appearances for the side managed by head coach Antonio Iriondo, he showed his potential and versatility by featuring across various positions in defence and the 19-year-old attributed that rise to the stalwarts in the Indian national team.

“Sunil (Chhetri)-bhai always shares his valuable experience in the national camp, and (Sandesh) Jhingan-paaji shows me how to be effectively aggressive with my defending,” Gahlot told Indian Express in an interview.

With his recent performances, Gahlot has shown the ability to emulate the former Kerala Blasters captain, who is a key figure at the heart of Igor Stimac’s defence. But it wasn’t a smooth ride for the former Indian Arrows defender.

Read: A field day for Jamshedpur FC’s Amarjit Singh Kiyam

He had missed out on representing the Blue Tigers in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017 due to injury. That setback proved to be a springboard for his career as he went on to make his International debut under head coach Igor Stimac against Tajikistan in the Hero Intercontinental Cup last year. And days later, in just his second match, he became the first player - born in the 21st century - to score for India.

“After my goal, he (Stimac) said, ‘I know that you have the potential, you can reach greater heights’. My injury before the World Cup taught me one thing - we can’t control everything. But with the support of my family, I recovered fully,” the defender added.

Speaking about his decision to join Jamshedpur FC ahead of the Hero ISL 2019-20 season, Gahlot reiterated that the choice was an easy one, especially with the presence of his compatriots Amarjit Singh Kiyam and Jitendra Singh.

“In the summer of 2019, I received an offer from Jamshedpur FC. They told me, ‘What’s more important is choosing a club where you can fight for your position, where you can grow as a player.’ Plus, Amarjit had joined JFC a year back, Jitu [Jitendra Singh] had also received an offer like me, and the facilities were good in Jamshedpur, so the decision wasn’t all that hard.”

Gahlot, who prominently featured as a left back last season, wants to fight for his preferred position and shared how he has been preparing for it in the last few months.

“I am comfortable in both the positions, but since a centre-back has more responsibility, I want to challenge myself to excel in that position. During the lockdown, I have been working hard on various aspects of my game - my short passing and my ability to be vocal at the back.”