The ongoing situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a halt, with humankind perhaps facing one of its biggest challenges in recent memory. While it’s imperative that one and all perform their bits diligently to help the world combat the crisis at hand, the essence of humanity also dictates we preserve hope for normalcy and look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel when we, together, navigate our way to the other side of the storm.

Echoing the sentiments which has been the motivating force behind the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic, India and Jamshedpur FC youngster Amarjit Singh, in a recent interview with a media outlet, said, “It is a difficult situation, no doubt. The circumstances are challenging but I hope we will get through them quickly.”

Lauding the efforts of the medical and security personnel working selflessly on the frontlines to spearhead India’s bid to contain and eventually beat the challenge, the 19-year-old added, “We are all grateful for the efforts being put in by the frontline workers to keep us safe and all of us must make sure we take the prescribed precautions, adhere to the instructions of the authorities and be understanding.”

The situation at hand presents professional footballers with an unprecedented hurdle, with their training schedule, diet and other aspects, needing to evolve keeping in mind the current scenario. Addressing the same, Amarjit noted, “I keep myself in shape with stretching exercises which I can do indoors and take care of my body. There are no excuses in football and I know that the efforts I put in now will pay certain dividends in the future.”

Despite being relatively new on the senior circuit, Amarjit’s reputation has grown immensely over the past year. Besides being a strong and technically-gifted midfield option, the youngster also brings in terrific mental fortitude – a rare attribute in a 19-year-old. India head coach, Igor Stimac is especially fond of the midfielder’s qualities, and even praised him for his maturity after he made his national team debut against Curacao in the 2019 King’s Cup in Thailand back in June.

“I'm really impressed with how he looks on the pitch, and how mature he looks with respect to his age. The way he plays is something which gives us hope,” lauded the Croatian, who started Amarjit in all the matches before an unfortunate injury ruled him out of India’s World Cup Qualifiers.

The same injury kept the youngster out for majority of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 season, as he returned to the pitch only towards the second half of the campaign. Nonetheless, Amarjit made a good impression, assisting one goal and boasting a passing accuracy of close to 75% for Jamshedpur.

That being said, the midfielder is far from relaxed and admitted he needed to work extra hard to make up for lost time. He told, “The goal remains the same. I am determined to work extra hard to cover for the training that I have missed. I have to be in top shape. I know have to keep pushing myself constantly to grow as a player.”

With Hero ISL 2019-20 presenting the platform to shine for several midfielders like Vinit Rai, Anirudh Thapa, Rowllin Borges, Lalengmawia, Sourav Das, Germanpreet Singh and most notably Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, reclaiming his position in the Blue Tigers’ starting XI is far from a given for Amarjit. The youngster, too, was aware of the challenge and is preparing for it. “Knowing that I have 10-20 people competing with me for the same positions, it is up to me to work hardest to get the coach’s nod in the starting line-up,” he stated.