Kerala Blasters star defender Sandesh Jhingan won a number of individual accolades throughout the Hero Indian Super League; eventually leading him to the Emerging Player of the League award. Jhingan who is just 21, made his senior debut for the national team in their 2-0 victory against Nepal in March 2015.Jhingan’s gritty performances in the ISL earned him a call-up to the senior team which was a matter of pride for the defender. "I hadn't sung the national anthem for a long time. I sang it when I represented the India U-19 team. So to sing it for the game against Nepal was a huge honour and responsibility," he said.Despite his stellar show in the inaugural season, the Chandigarh native gave a humble account of his performance for the Kerala Blasters and attributed a portion of his personal success to the ISL. "I was playing in the I-League for two years and played for India too (U-19). But nobody really knew the players. The ISL has removed that barrier. Football in India was missing a face, and the ISL made up for it. Many people who came to watch the games said that I played brilliantly. But honestly, I had an OK tournament. If people don't come to watch the I-League, they won't know," said Jhingan who represents Sporting Clube de Goa in the Hero I-League."The I-League should have picked up from where the ISL left. And that I think is the issue. Look what a fabulous way the ISL was promoted. You need fans to come to the stadium. Without that, football in India will never improve," exclaimed Jhingan as he urged Indian football fans to support the sport.India qualified for the second round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers defeating Nepal 2-0 over two legs. They are set to face 2014 World Cup finalists Iran amongst Oman, Turkmenistan and Guam after being drawn in Group D.Jhingan believes that India can qualify for the next round despite the difficult fixtures that lie ahead. "Nobody expected us to clear the first round, and we got through it with a clean sheet in both legs. So we are on a positive track. We have to work hard. It's not a piece of cake. But I think we can qualify," he prophesised. The biggest challenge according to him would be to get the team ready for their first game against Oman, given that they will get only 10-days together at the preparatory camp. "The I-League will get over in May, and we play our game on June 11 against Oman. They have a good set of players who practise together regularly. It'll be a great challenge for us," explained the 21-year old.The future looks bright for the Kerala Blasters youngster and here’s what he had to say about it- "I received a lot of offers to come for trials for many European teams. I want to play abroad as soon as possible. I want to play with the best so I can come back and help India become a better footballing nation. Other than my European dreams, my order of importance is the national team, then playing in the ISL, then the I-League. That being said, I cannot survive without either of them."Quotes taken from Sandesh Jhingan’s interview with DNA.
