New Delhi: The limelight in the SAFF Cup has been on Sunil Chhetri, but his young strike partner Jeje Lalpekhula is quietly building a reputation for himself.
The young star from Mizoram has found plenty of support among the 1,000-odd spectators for India’s matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Maybe it is his name - ‘Jeje’ is as easy a chant as any player’s name can be - or maybe those fans shouting his name and holding his banners know that the Pune FC striker is the most likely to fill the long-term void left by the talismanic Bhaichung Bhutia’s retirement.
The man himself, though, is unperturbed by the attention and unwilling to take on extra pressure. “It’s too early to compare me to Bhaichung,” said Jeje, on the eve of India’s SAFF Cup final with Afghanistan on Sunday. “He’s my idol, but I have a long way to go. It doesn’t put any pressure on me.”
Jeje’s rise to the top has been as quick as the pacy and skilful forward can be. He scored on debut for India’s Under-23 team last season, in a pre-Olympic qualifier against Myanmar, and then repeated the feat with the senior team as well, against Chinese Taipei during the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Malaysia in March. After scoring four goals in his first three games for India, he has taken his tally to seven goals in 14 matches going into the final.
“I owe a lot to Colm Toal (the India U-19 coach) and Bob Houghton (former India coach),” acknowledged Jeje. “They gave me a good opportunity in the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers.”
Jeje also starred in the domestic league, ending the last I-League campaign as the top-scoring Indian player with 13 goals in 15 games while on loan at Indian Arrows. His ability to score goals, as well as his movement off the ball which allows him to create chances, has seen him being labeled as India’s rising star. When asked about what sets him apart from others, however, the 20-year-old is modest. “I work very hard,” is all Jeje is willing to offer.
By his standards, however, the ongoing SAFF Cup - his first full-fledged competitive tournament with India - has not been as rewarding. Perhaps recovering from his week-long trial at Rangers that saw him arrive just a day before India played their first match, Jeje has scored only one goal so far, in a group match against Sri Lanka.
“I have to perform better,” he admitted. “This tournament has been a good experience for me. I will take a lot from these games.”
Meanwhile, senior striker Chhetri has been prolific, scoring six goals in the four games so far to top the goal-scoring charts.
“Chhetri is a great player. I played with him for the first time in the qualifiers in March,” said Jeje. “He gives me advice, tells me what to do and what not to do. He encourages me every time and tells me how to play, how to run and how to find space and take up positions on the field. We have played just about 10 matches together so far. Once we play more matches together, our partnership will get better.”
India coach Savio Medeira agrees. “Jeje is only 20 years old. He needs more time to form a partnership with Chhetri. His performances in the AFC Challenge Cup were much better than in this tournament. But I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, because he’s so young. He will mature over time. He has a lot more years to go, as compared to Chhetri."
“Whatever work he has done so far is good, and as he and Chhetri play more matches together, the understanding and combination between them will improve.”
In the immediate future, Jeje and Medeira are keen to win their first major tournament with India.
“We just have to believe in ourselves, we have to stick to the tactics and try and correct the mistakes which we made in the first game against Afghanistan (which India drew 1-1). There is nothing we can change in such a short period of time anyway. We will try our best,” said Medeira.
“I think our chances are good,” said Jeje, looking ahead to final. “The first match was very difficult for the team. Sunil and I had gone to Scotland and we came back just a day before that match. We didn’t practice together with the team, we just played directly in the game. We were a little tired. Anyway, the first match of any tournament is never easy.”
“But our performances have improved since then and we will play better in the final. It will be a different match. If we play as we have been playing and stick to our game plan, like the coach wants us too, we can win.”
However, when pressed on his own goals, the shy striker would only say, “I also have to try my best, both for India and then for Pune FC.”
Jeje, it seems, is a man of few words, who would prefer to do his talking on the field. For India though, that is a promising thought.
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