ISL 2022-23: If we keep improving, an Indian player will play in the Premier League one day: Kerala Blasters FC’s Ayush Adhikari

Kerala Blasters FC reserve team skipper Ayush Adhikari is hopeful that if they keep improving, an Indian player will soon get an opportunity to play in the Premier League. The English Premier League is regarded as one of the best football leagues in the world as world-class players take part in it.

It would be an amazing opportunity if one day an Indian player get a chance to rub shoulders with the best in the business. Kerala Blasters colts recently played in Next Gen Cup where they locked horns against Crystal Palace. But, they suffered a 1-4 loss against the English youth team. Furthermore, they suffered a drubbing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur as they lost by 7-0.

However, despite these losses, there was a lot to learn for the young boys and they have gathered great experience of playing in England.

“When you pick up football as a youngster in India, you look up to the European teams like the ones we played. There is a gap that I think we are narrowing down and we can cope with it. To take an example, just two days after our first match, we gave Crystal Palace a tough fight and they struggled to get a goal out of us in the first half,” said Adhikari, who scored in Kerala Blasters’ 3rd-4th place playoff against Crystal Palace’s academy team.

“I think if we keep going like this, keep on having these programs and initiatives, we will develop, and someday you will see an Indian player playing in the Premier League,” Adhikari opined.

Meanwhile, Adhikari believes it was a great opportunity for them to play against the top youth club academies. The youngster feels this exposure will add a lot of confidence to their bag.

“It is a great initiative to give players this kind of exposure because everyone sees these clubs on television and every player dreams to be here. Finally, when a chance comes, the players are grateful to play against these top teams,” the reserve team captain said.

“We were here to learn and experience what European football quality is all about. The players are fast and skilled, tactically, they possess good knowledge of the game and we experienced what playing in Europe is like,” he added.

“It is a delightful feeling to be part of the trip. The infrastructure in the clubs we visited is top quality, with more than 20 pitches to just train. Those things are huge, this is football at the big level. The atmosphere here is insane. Any player would love to be here,” added the Delhi-born.