Krishna Pandit and the dream of becoming Indian football's talisman

India U-16 had already conceded twice in the first half against Kuwait U-16 in the U-16 AFC Cup Qualification Round in 2013 and were desperate for a comeback. Their prayers were answered as 20 minutes into the second half, super-sub Krishna Pandit halved the deficit to give a glimmer of hope to his side.

Even though the Blue Colts were unable to script a comeback, the youngster, after making the net bulge, was finally relieved after breaking his scoring drought. Prior to that strike, the Chandigarh-born forward had endured a barren spell for a few months. And, his target remained to find the back of the net to ease his mind during that time.

Following that goal against the Asian opponents, not only did Pandit's confidence go up a notch, but he was also able to calm down a bit mentally. Speaking to Sportskeeda, Krishna Pandit expressed his delight on finally being able to find the back of the net.

"Even though we failed to win that game, breaking the hoodoo gave me a huge uplift. That strike was a confidence booster and it was easier to perform later knowing that the drought has finally come to an end."

Krishna Pandit then delved into his beginnings as a footballer. Despite flourishing on the pitch during the national U-13 camp in Kolkata, the youngster's reserved character did not help him one bit for a few weeks. He was biding his time in West Bengal's capital before returning to his hometown full of desperation.

"At the age of 13, moving to Kolkata from my home town (Chandigarh) for a national football camp proved to be a nightmare for me. Even though it was for a temporary period of time, I found it so hard. Albeit, I was able to get past trials and score some important goals for the Under-13 side."

Following the trial in the Eastern hub of India, the young forward's growing stock saw him become the Blue Tigers' Under-14 side's talisman. Pandit notched up eight goals from five games in the AFC Under-14 Football Festival competition and later broke into the Under-16 team at the age of 13. Krishna Pandit then expressed his delight at steering his country to victory in the U-16 SAFF Championship in 2013.

"It was an amazing experience and to also captain the side to victory, it is something I would never forget."

The currently 21-year-old Pandit was rated highly by a number of coaches at the AIFF camp in Kolkata. With his consistent displays coming to light, the coaches picked him to face age level sides of some German clubs including Borussia Dortmund and Schalke. Despite a few bad results, Krishna Pandit believes the Blue Colts gained exposure by playing those European clubs.

"We knew what was coming. Their level was so high, and we found it tough playing them. We won some and lost some. Irrespective of the results, they were lessons for the entire team, and we only took the positives out of those results. Overall, it was great experience and much-needed exposure for us to play some big European clubs."

Pandit tried his luck in the United States and Spain, but unfortunate circumstances forced him to return to India. Upon returning to the subcontinent, Minerva Punjab, who had kept tabs on his displays since his Under-13 selection trial in Kolkata, offered the Chandigarh-born forward a one-year contract.

Krishna Pandit's convincing displays with the B team were noticed by the first-team coach, who invited him to the first-team training. He finally started a game for Minerva Punjab against Mohun Bagan in a close 0-1 loss. Pandit scored his only goal for the I-League outfit during the 3-1 loss against East Bengal in the 2016-17 season. Owing to contractual problems and less game time, Krishna was forced to assess his situation before putting pen to paper with FC Goa's reserve side.

Clifford Miranda, who was named as the first-team coach on a temporary basis post the sacking of Sergio Lobera last season in the Indian Super League (ISL), trained Krishna at FC Goa II. The youngster heaped praise on the manager for improving his repertoire.

"Even though I have always preferred playing through the centre or in the right flank, my coach (Clifford Miranda) wanted me to play through the right-wing. He saw my pace and adaptability and said why not. He always kept me fit and improved me a lot throughout the year."

Despite not playing in his preferred position, Krishna Pandit appeared seven times and scored once for FC Goa reserves in the I-League Second Division. After a year with the Gaurs, the forward moved to the Southern part of India to represent Chennaiyin FC's reserve side.

Having impressed across various age group levels of the national team, Krishna Pandit started all games for the Blues reserves and even captained them on three occasions. Speaking about his time with Chennaiyin, he said:

"It was disappointing to finish fourth in the group stages. I individually improved a lot over the course of the season. The reserves team coach helped me a lot and helped me improve in various parts of my game."

The youngster is hell-bent on becoming the next spearhead of the Indian national team. The forward is more suited through the left-wing or as a centre-forward. Hence, emulating India's all-time leading scorer Sunil Chhetri and becoming the nation's talisman remains Krishna's objective despite struggling to break into the first team until date.

When questioned about his dream, Pandit said:

"My dream is to earn a senior India cap and become a top striker like Sunil bhai. Even if it takes to lead the scoring chart in the Indian Super League or the I-League to earn a senior cap, I will continue to work hard and achieve it."

Krishna Pandit's contract with Chennaiyin FC has expired. However, the forward is tirelessly working on his fitness before deciding on his next move. If he re-signs with them, Pandit will be looking to match the feat of another youngster in Deepak Tangri, who broke into the Marina Machans' first-team last season.