#4 Dheeraj increased his reputation with a stunning performance
Chalk it up to the quirks of football, but in a game where India dominated much of the game through the attacking talents of Aman Chetri, Aniket Anil Jadhav and Komal Thatal, one of our standout performers was the goalkeeper, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem.
India's tall custodian was already in the limelight, having saved two penalties in the recently concluded AFC U-16 Championships which led to him being rated one of the best prospects for the Indian senior football side in the future. He continued his good form, with a superb performance that kept India in the game right until the end.
Against a physically imposing South African side, Dheeraj was commanding from set-pieces bar one occasion where he spilled the ball early on. Mopping up any loose balls, distributing with quick throws forward, Dheeraj was superb throughout, including a stunning reflex save from a volley in the 65th minute and keeping out a certain goal-bound header in injury time.
With Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also enhancing his reputation abroad, it won’t be long before Dheeraj follows in his footsteps.
