While it’s mainly the foreign marquee signings who have hogged the headlines in the first month of ISL’s third edition, but to say they have outplayed their Indian counterparts would be stretching a reality a bit too thin. The Indian players have been really good – ranging from the fresh faces (like Jerry Lalrinzuala) to the wily old foxes (Mehtab Hossain), and here we take a look at the five best Indian players over the course of the first month of ISL season 3
Honourable mentions – Sana Singh (Delhi Dynamos), Hallicharan Narzary (NorthEast United), Sandesh Jhingan (Kerala Blasters) and Jayesh Rane (Chennaiyin FC)
1. Jerry Lalrinzuala – Chennaiyin FC
Aged just 18, Jerry is at the head of a bunch of very talented Chennaiyin youngsters – most of them too young to play in the ISL where 18 is the minimum age limit due to contract laws (Jerry turned 18 just two months before the ISL started) – that will see to it that the defending champs will remain a force to reckon with for some time to come.
Jerry has been a revelation playing left back under the guidance of the legendary Italian Marco Materazzi. His youthful exuberance and energy have been tempered with a head much wiser than what you would expect, and he's been as solidly dependable at the back as he has been consistently adventurous going forward.
The lad looks a sure pick for the senior Indian national team, sooner rather than later.
2. Prabir Das – Atletico de Kolkata
The 22-year-old from Sodepur has been brilliant for Kolkata in the opening month of action, The versatile footballer who is generally a right back has been playing on the opposite flank this season, and it's not just ludicrously blonde maggie-style hair that's making him stand out.
He's been rock-solid at the back – an integral part of a very impressive Atletico de Kolkata defence and the value of this jack-of-all-trades hasn't been lost on ATK coach Jose Francesco Molina
“I can play in two-three different positions because Arthur Papas made me play like that and I think I can do it. If a coach thinks he can use me differently in the team I cooperate.” He has been doing it at Mohun Bagan too - “I played as a right-back for the team in the I-League and as a right winger in the Calcutta Football League,” pointed out Das who doesn’t seem to think playing in different positions will harm him. “If I have to play as a defender I will attack less and concentrate on defending. If I play as an attacker I worry less about defending. I’ll just keep giving my 100 percent while I play”
Also, Read – First month of ISL 3 in Pictures
3. Rowllin Borges – NorthEast United
The Goan has been quietly going about his job in a quietly impressive NorthEast United. Having started his career as a creative, attacking midfielder, many still confuse him with that image and say his stats of 0 goals, 0 assists and just 1 shot on goal are a poor return. They would be, if he was still playing in that role. You see, these days Borges is the antithesis of a creative midfielder that under Nelo Vingada. He is – if you will allow me a teeny bit of artistic leeway – the Sergio Busquets of the side.
Nigh on invisible if you look at only the highlights or the stats, he has been the indispensable rock upon which Vingada has built an exciting, counter-attacking team that makes up for its lack in star names with graft, team-work and a never-say-die attitude – and Borges is the embodiment of those qualities.
He transitions play beautifully well between defence and attack, screens his back four at all times and is a presence all over the pitch with his abundance of energy and willingness to run his socks off every time he steps foot on the pitch, he has been pivotal to the NorthEast surge this year
4. Milan Singh – Delhi Dynamos
The young Manipuri midfield powerhouse has been indispensable in Delhi's ascent to the top 3 this month. The Capital side have been much better than they have been in the first two seasons and Milan Singh has been integral to this rapid improvement. Enjoying life under the tutelage of the Italian legend Gianluca Zambrotta, Singh is developing into a wonderful creative influence.
He's not just a playmaker, though – those energizer batteries he calls lungs propel him up and down the pitch in relentlessly and he is an excellent tackler of the ball who doesn't shy away from the physical side of the game.
He's been a constant threat throughout, scoring 1 goal from the 4 shots that he's taken – and the goal came at a vital moment. His low right-footer in the 79th minute rescued Delhi a point against Pune City, and Zambrotta will be expecting even more from his rising star.
5. Mehtab Hossain – Kerala Blasters
The Bengali midfield general has frustrated Indian football fans for quite a while. Brilliant one day, anonymous the next; creating magic one moment, losing the ball the next – consistency has eluded Hossain for the duration of his career. At 35 years old, there was little reason to believe ISL season 3 would be a turning point.
The way he started this season didn't bode well either – he mixed pinpoint crossfield passing with sloppy short passing; his inconsistency permeating through the Blasters' ranks as the Kerala side struggled through the first week.
But slowly, he's got his act together – and with it, Kerala have corrected their trajectory as well. His metronomic passing has been at the heart of everything good the Men in Yellow have done, while his presence has added the steel that every team needs in its spine.
How important is he to Kerala? If he plays well, the team does as well. If he doesn't, the team lack any sense of cohesion.
Can't get more important than that, can it?
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