Chennaiyin FC may be going through a rough patch in the second season of the Hero Indian Super League but young gun Zakeer Mundampara is hopeful his team will soon return to winning ways. Playing his first season, Mundampara debuted against NorthEast United FC on November 11 and shared midfield duties with Raphael Augusto and Thoi Singh. Ahead of the Super Machans’ game against Kerala Blasters FC on Saturday, the Kerala-born player, in an exclusive interview to indiansuperleague.com, spoke about his debut and the prospect of playing against his hometown club. Here are the excerpts from the interview.Considering your debut came against NorthEast United not long ago, how has your Hero ISL experience been so far?I felt really happy, since I’ve always wanted to play in the Hero Indian Super League. My debut match was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. Now all I need to do is keep improving my performance.Speaking of improvement, what notes have you taken from your debut performance?I was pleased with my performance. Also, I was pleased to know that the coach and the team were impressed with me as well. But when a team loses, quite often its individual performances get ignored. But I’ll work towards performing better in this competitive format."My allegiance now lies with Chennaiyin FC"Zakeer MundamparaHow does it feel going up against your hometown club?My allegiance now lies with Chennaiyin FC. So when we go up against Kerala, I’d want us play as a team and grab those three points.Given the do-or-die situation faced by both sides in this match, how are you going to proceed?Not just for me but the match against Kerala is important for everybody. That we ought to win goes without saying and the whole team is working towards that.And according to you, who are the players to watch out for?If I may speak for both teams, none of the sides would be dependent on one single person. It’s a concerted effort.
