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Kerala Blasters may have a gem on their hands, and he's only 19 years old. Sachin Suresh's commanding presence in the box, his ability to clearly communicate with his backline and his anticipation skills make him a star in the making.
But Kerala Blasters and their coaching staff aren't surprised by any of this. They were aware of his incredible talent when they signed him from his previous club FC Kerala. The Blasters knew that Suresh could potentially go on to serve them for many years to come.
India has a long history of producing outstanding goalkeepers. One only has to look at the most recent first-choice national team goalkeepers. Subrata Paul was excellent and is still going strong well into the twilight of his career. Current Indian team keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu became the first Indian to play in the Europa League, when he played for Norwegian club Stabaek.
So what is it about Sachin Suresh that makes people believe that he is the next big thing? Simply put, it is his maturity on the pitch.
Suresh is great at communicating with his teammates - something that is essential to being a good goalkeeper. The instructions that he bellows are clear, non-ambiguous. And to add to it all, he is an excellent shot-stopper.
Suresh was part of the Indian U-20 team that beat the Argentina U-20 team at the COTIF Cup in Spain in 2018, and he has also represented Kerala in the Santosh Trophy. The young keeper became a part of Kerala Blasters after spending three seasons with FC Kerala. He is now ready to take his game up another notch, in the pursuit of cementing his spot in the Kerala Blasters first team.
Sachin Suresh got his passion for football from his father who was a goalkeeper himself with the Calicut University football team. His father, Suresh, moved to the UAE seeking better opportunities, but moved back to India soon after he realized that his son was interested in football. He set up a business in India and simultaneously coached Sachin in the basics of goalkeeping.
Sachin Suresh should take a cue from Sahal Abdul Samad
The early lessons certainly seem to have paid off for Sachin Suresh and he definitely has the potential join the big league one day. Considering that someone like Sahal Abdul Samad also took the same path to the Kerala Blasters first team, it's not a stretch to say that Suresh might be able to do the same in the future.
Whenever that happens, one thing is clear: the future of India in the goalkeeping department is bright.
