Mumbai: Words scrawled on the inside of a cupboard at Krida Prabhodini, a sports hostel in Balewadi, Pune, offers a glimpse into the mind of trainee footballer Aniket Jadhav: ‘I will play the World Cup one day’. As the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 draws closer, Aniket, now on the frontline for India’s u-17 WC team, is days from realising his dream at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi.
Goal-setting is a motivational tool to keep trainees focused and assess how far ahead they are thinking, Jaideep Angirwal, who was resident coach at Krida Prabodhini between 1996 and 2015, says. Mr. Angirwal had opened Aniket’s cupboard during a routine hygiene check when he saw the youngster’s determination written on its inside. “Six years ago, India bidding to host a football World Cup had not crossed our minds, but here was a kid firm on playing in one.”
Mr. Angirwal, a resident of Ghorpadi in Pune, says, “I was sure India wouldn’t play in a football World Cup in my lifetime, and if it did happen to, I wouldn’t be alive to guide Aniket. I tried to find a way to bring Aniket back to reality, but he didn’t take a step back. Each trainee was asked to write down his goal in life in a place he would see every day. I remember other trainees writing about joining the police team; a football job under the sports quota was something to be proud of.”
A player before he took up coaching, Mr. Angirwal joined Krida Prabodhini six years after the 1990 Santosh Trophy National Championships, in which he played for Maharashtra under the captainship of the late Evaristo Cardozo. “Aniket is a born athlete. He has pace and the physique to do well in outdoor sport. He enrolled in athletics, but was obsessed with football and got his way by threatening to go home if pushed into track and field.”
Shaky start
Aniket’s footballing career didn’t have a dream start: he failed in a selection trial in Nagpur and returned to Krida Prabodhini, distressed. “It was time to tell him about the effort needed to get noticed, and that setbacks would happen if emotions got in the way. From then on, he set the pace; now. he is in the World Cup squad. I’m lost for words again.”
His hunger for excellence was clear during training sessions: when the coach would ask the boys to take 100 tries at the goal using both feet, Aniket would often do more than 100. “His focus did not waver from then on. National coaches will agree that Aniket is sound in basics, and can play different positions. I even put him in front of the goal to understand how goalkeepers react.”
Aniket is one of two strikers in the 21-player squad chosen by Portuguese coach Luis Matos, and based on form, is poised for a World Cup debut. India will play USA, Ghana and Colombia in Group A.
“Exposure trips with the national team have improved confidence and helped remove the awe of playing against foreigners. He needs one chance to show what he can do with the ball.”
In good hands: Aniket Jadhav with Jaideep Angirwal, his former coach at Krida Prabodhini, Pune.
Trainee and coach kept in touch after Mr. Angirwal left Krida Prabodhini, and he mostly does the listening. Meanwhile, Aniket moved from the training facility to the I-League with Pune FC’s age-group team. The club has since shut down.
“He spent two days at my home during a break in the India camp at Goa, met trainees at Krida Prabodhini and suggested latest training methods. He stressed on the importance of recovery between sessions due to our hot climate. He did the talking.”
CM announces reward
Aniket, who is the only Maharashtra player in the u-17 World Cup squad, will receive ₹10 lakh from the government, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced. “Kolhapur is his janmabhoomi . Pune is his karmabhoomi. ”
Mr. Angirwal hopes the money will finally convince Aniket’s father, Anil, that his son’s choice of career is worth the effort. “Aniket’s father could not bear the thought of his son, then just 10, staying away from home in a Pune hostel. His uncle, Sanjay Jadhav, stepped in when he saw the boy’s passion, and backing from the Kolhapur District Football Association ensured he stayed on at Krida Prabodhini.”
The AIFF Regional Academy in Goa has been his training base, when not on government-funded exposure tours to South America and Europe with other India u-17 probables over the past year. “He said a club in Denmark had offered him a place in their development squad. At the moment, he is not with a club; he can decide after the World Cup.”
