Determined to excel, says Thapa
Central midfielder Anirudh Thapa is confident of cementing his spot in the national set- up and believes he will get ample opportunities to showcase his potential under head coach Stephen Constantine.
The 20- year- old came on as a substitute in Chennaiyin FC’s 3- 2 win over Bengaluru FC in the 2017- 18 Indian Super League final and put up a fine display.
He has since then gone from strength to strength, earning a senior national cap ( against St. Kitts and Nevis in 2017), after representing the country at the under- 14, under- 16, under19 level.
He was part of the under16 side that won the 2013 SAFF Championship.
“At this age, I can only focus on improving myself. There’s enough opportunity, which I need to grab. I am leaving no stone unturned to take something back with me after every training session,” the All India Football Federation academy graduate said while interacting with the media at the national team’s camp in Mumbai on Sunday.
Thapa believes there’s always a pressure to be in the national team set- up but it’s a good to be under scrutiny.
“You will always be under pressure in the national team. We have to push ourselves to better ourselves as well as scale newer heights,” the Dehradun boy said.
The talented youngster also lauded his seniors who he says are like “elder brothers” imparting invaluable inputs to help him grow.
“The senior players are like our elder brothers. They are in the business for quite a long time compared to us and they always share their bit with us,” Thapa said.
Thapa came into the limelight in his U- 16 days when he was with the AIFF Academy in Kalyani, West Bengal.
Spotted by Colm Toal and then nurtured by Gautam Ghosh and Scott O’Donnell, Thapa has lived up to his initial promise, praising the AIFF Academy for his development.
“There is a significant difference between me before joining the academy and now. My aim is now to utilise this opportunity and represent my country regularly,” he added.