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Young ATK winger Komal Thatal has been called to the India senior national team camp by coach Stephen Constantine ahead of the Blue Tigers' international friendly against Jordan, which is scheduled for November 17 in Amman.
This was after Bengaluru FC forward Sunil Chhetri suffered a grade one ankle tear in their 2-1 victory over Kerala Blasters last week.
The 18-year-old, who participated in India's maiden Under-17 World Cup last year, has been impressive for Steve Coppell’s ATK this season in the Indian Super League (ISL).
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“Komal is a player. When you look at someone the way he maneuvers, runs with the ball, some look manufactured and some look more natural. He is a player. He just turned 18 years of age. As I saw him in the pre-season games and I wouldn’t be surprised if he figures in most of the games this season. He is very much in my plans,” said Coppell ahead of season five of the ISL.
He did feature extensively for ATK, having accumulated 340 minutes of game time. He also scored his first senior goal when he found the back of the net against India’s number one and Bengaluru FC custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
"Komal did very well for us. He's got energy and he's got legs. He's very skillful on the ball. He likes having possession," explained Coppell.
Thatal is known for his ability to get the better of a defender in tight situations. His best performance in the Indian junior team was when he scored the equaliser against Brazil in the Under-17 BRICS tournament.
Thatal has followed the likes of Jerry Lalrinzuala, Anirudh Thapa (Chennaiyin FC) and Ashique Kuruniyan (FC Pune City) to have made it into the senior team after a breakthrough season in the ISL.
Constantine said that Thatal was being monitored for the last two years. "We have been monitoring him and a few of the other younger players over the last 2 years. Now he has been getting regular game time at his club ATK,” Constantine said. "He will get the experience of being with the Senior National Team at this camp and a taste of things at this level."
Thatal said he felt great to be part of the senior team camp. "It has been great to be here. It was my first training session today and was a good learning experience for me. I'll look forward to improving myself. I feel great to play alongside the seniors who are there for so long," the AIFF quoted him as saying.
