Hardworking Anirudh Thapa Wants to Make Selection Process a Headache for the Coach Stephen Constantine

New Delhi: One of the brightest sparks in the midfield for the Indian men’s football team, young Anirudh Thapa has impressed all and sundry with his tireless performances in the season gone by and in the Intercontinental Cup. Hailing from Dehradun, the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year has his eyes firmly set on clinching a spot in the squad for the upcoming Asian Cup in January 2019.

The coach Stephen Constantine recently said that the doors of the national team are open for everyone as long as they can prove their mettle. The coach, it is understood, will look to finalise on his players by November.

“Representing the country, wherever it be is a very big achievement and in the next few months all of us are keen to impress the coach. We don’t want to make it easy for him when he is selecting the team for January,” Thapa told News18Sports.

But, the midfielder is well aware that he isn’t one of the typical picks for Stephen Constantine, who likes players with pace and strength. Just before the final of the Intercontinental Cup against Kenya, the coach heaped praise on Thapa and said, “Anirudh Thapa has been outstanding so far. He can play in more than one position and has excellent work rate. That’s the kind of player we need in this Indian National Team.”

A product of the AIFF Academy, Thapa knows full well that it is his ability to run tirelessly in midfield that has earned him his place in the side, and intends to take it to the next level in terms of physical progress.

“Everyone on the team keeps telling me to hit the gym and put on some more mass. Playing in central midfield it can be difficult because you get boxed by both defenders and strikers,” Thapa said.

“The Intercontinental Cup was where I made my senior team debut, and at all times through the tournament the senior players helped me settle down well. Someone like Gurpreet Sandhu was extremely welcoming and helped in various situations.”

Thapa, keen to impress the national team selectors in the next few months, hopes he can continue to perform to the fullest of his ability at every possible chance and show the coach his full repository of skills.

“For young players like me, before we get called-up to the national team, it is always encouraging to see the coach in the stands. You levels of concentration and alertness goes up a few notches which can only be a good thing. But now, for me, it is about maintaining my performance to seal the spot,” Thapa pointed out.

The midfielder along with a squad comprising mostly U-23 players are in the national capital for a camp and will soon fly out to Australia for friendly matches against A-League teams before going to Bangladesh to defend the SAFF Championship title. Post that, the Indian team will dive headlong into preparing for the Asian Cup with away friendlies against China and Oman already confirmed. The AIFF are hoping to finalise two more matches before January against tougher Asian oppositions.

Thapa, part of the ISL winning side Chennaiyin FC in the last season under John Gregory, was picked by the franchise the year before by the Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi. In his first season in the ISL, Thapa played one game and returned with one assist, whereas in his second season he played 16 games and scored twice while assisting once enroute to the title.

“When I came to Chennaiyin right out of the U-19s, I thought I would be playing more than I did. And I got big surprise as I was sharing the dressing room with an Italian legend and a World Cup winner,” Thapa said looking back at his initial days in the glitzy cash-rich league that has India’s best footballers at this point in time.

When quizzed about his interactions with Materazzi, the youngster revealed there was an element of fear. “Marco was scary and intimidating, but he was a different person when it came to being on the field or in training.”

The former Minerva Punjab player grew up in Dehradun and believes the one thing that has left a definitive mark is the fighting spirit.

“As a kid, I was always playing with the bigger boys, who were playing seriously whereas for me it began as fun activity before I was 10 years old. I used to get bullied during the game because I wasn’t as strong. Thankfully, I continued through all that and reached here,” he said.

“I’m not really sure what I would have done if it wasn’t for football. I never thought of another sport and I wasn’t the best academically,” he signed off.