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What's the story?
India U-17 star Aniket Jadhav started his I-League career on a sensational note when he scored a brace for the Indian Arrows in a 3-0 win over Chennai City during their opening fixture.
Earlier, the striker had not included in the India U-19 squad selected by coach Luis Norton de Matos for the AFC qualifiers last month.
In case you didn't know...
Around 14 players from the India U-17 World Cup squad were included in the 23-man-squad for the AFC U-19 qualifiers in Saudi Arabia last month.
Amarjit Singh, who captained the colts at the World Cup, and India's only goal-scorer of the tournament Jeakson Singh were included on the list without a shadow of a doubt.
However, Jadhav was a notable exclusion from the squad after having just made a single appearance in the tournament like Komal Thatal, who also failed to make the cut for the qualifiers.
The heart of the matter
Jadhav was signed up by the Indian Arrows, a team made up of India U-19 and U-17 stars coached by de Matos, for the current I-League season and displayed a scintillating performance on debut.
The 17-year-old scored twice in the game to help his side brush aside Chennai City FC, who hardly gave the youngsters any problems whatsoever and received huge praise from his coach de Matos.
“I know the relationship I have with my players and I know how I want them to give their maximum. Sometimes I need to push a player to play how I want to play collectively. That's why he was not in Saudi Arabia with us. But I told Aniket that he will be with us for the I-League,” he commented.
What's next?
The striker has clearly captured the manager's attention and will be a key player for the Arrows for the remainder of the season considering the quality he displayed on his debut.
Author's take
Jadhav's performance against Chennai was nothing short of spectacular and he has taken the opportunity of playing in the I-League with both hands despite not being one of de Matos' favourite options prior to the tournament. He could become a key player for India in the future if he continues to develop steadily.
