Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

ISL feature: Aniket Jadhav lives the dream

Six seasons later, Aniket is readying himself to face them in his first season of the ISL with Jamshedpur FC.

Aniket Jadhav

Bengaluru, October 23: It was not long ago that a 14-year-old Aniket Jadhav was passing balls to the likes of Pritam Kotal and Lenny Rodrigues in the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune.

Six seasons later, Aniket is readying himself to face them in his first season of the ISL with Jamshedpur FC.

On Tuesday, the Kolhapur-born youngster who shot to fame after he was selected for India's 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup team, made his dream debut in the ISL when he started for Jamshedpur FC against Odisha FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex, Jamshedpur.

ISL 2019-20: JFC vs OFC: 10-man Jamshedpur deliver a killer blowISL 2019-20: JFC vs OFC: 10-man Jamshedpur deliver a killer blow

"To be honest, I was very excited to join the Jamshedpur FC team for my first Hero ISL season. I am looking forward to the season," said the 19-year-old, who, after the U-17 World Cup, followed his development in the I-League with Indian Arrows.

Opening up

Opening up

Opening up on why he chose Jamshedpur FC, Aniket said,

"When I was young, I used to follow the likes of Subrata Paul and Steven Dias (assistant coach at Jamshedpur FC). I actually used to be a ball-boy for the ISL during the first two seasons in the games at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune. I spoke to five-six senior players before signing for Jamshedpur and all spoke highly of the facilities and the team culture here."

Blackburn stint

Blackburn stint

Aniket spent a good three months training at English club Blackburn Rovers during the close season.

He gained invaluable experience, which he plans on putting to use in the upcoming season.

Exposure trip

Exposure trip

"It was a good exposure trip for me. I learnt a lot as a professional football player. There was so much knowledge to soak in from the coaches and the players at Blackburn Rovers.

"Surely, I would be able to put my learnings to use in this ISL," said Aniket, who was snapped up by Jamshedpur FC the previous season before being loaned out to Arrows once again.

Baying for more

Baying for more

Aniket surely knew that the road to become the first name on the team sheet ahead of the likes of seasoned campaigner CK Vineeth and India international Farukh Choudhary is tough, he surely has worked his way up.

Now, after an hour of the taste of the thrill that ISL provides, he will be baying for more.

(Source: ISL Media)

Story first published: Wednesday, October 23, 2019, 12:42 [IST]
Other articles published on Oct 23, 2019