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Indian National Team’s defensive mainstay Nishu Kumar chats up with Ankush Sharma on his very close and special relationship with India’s very own living legend Sunil Chhetri!
Nishu got a great start to his career joining one of the most professional clubs in the circuit, Bengaluru FC back in 2015. This opportunity gave him a chance to learn from and build a close rapport with captain Chhetri himself. The defender talks about how it was a dream come true to play alongside the Captain and recalls how proud his parents were in knowing he was training with India’s best.
This season however, the young gun became one of the highest paid defenders in the country as he parted ways with the Blues to join Kerala Blasters. He recalls how Chhetri was always so tough on him and credits him for his improvement. He goes on to say that, although Chhetri is so humble off the pitch, he is in fact a beast when he is on the pitch. Chhetri believes in tough love and Nishu says that especially if you are a youngster, he wouldn’t let you eat unhealthy food, stray off from your sleep schedule and so on. While he is as demanding from his teammates, the captain is a true leader by making it a point to help his peers level up.
The young defender also fondly reminisces that Chhetri always had a soft corner for him and says, “He used to scold me even if the striker was making a mistake. I’d get more scoldings from Chhetri bhai than the Coach.” Legend for a reason, isn’t it?
