Akhil Rawat
AIFF Media Team

THIMPHU, BHUTAN: Sumit Sharma Brahmacharimayum is a relatively fresh entrant in the India U17 men's squad, but has already made his name as one of the key and trusted players of head coach Ishfaq Ahmed.

The 16-year-old centre-back wasn't part of India's SAFF U16 Championship triumph last year. However, the start to his international career, which is a month old, has been nothing short of a dream. He scored the winning goal in each of India's last two matches - first against Indonesia in a friendly last month, then against Bangladesh in the SAFF U17 Championship opener two days ago. Both coming off headers from set-piece situations.

"I cried at the final whistle," said Sumit. "It was such an emotional moment I can't explain. Scoring the winning goal in the last minute is like a dream. My parents were also crying on the phone after the match."

Sumit's dreams began in the village of Haoreibi Awang Leikai in the Imphal West district of Manipur, where he lives in a joint family. His father is an artist - a singer for the traditional Meitei dance, Pung Cholom.

As Sumit joined the renowned Classic Football Academy, his footballing dreams grew step by step. "My first dream was to wear the Classic shirt. It gave me the platform to be part of the national team, which became my next dream."

Already six feet tall at the age of 16, Sumit continues to grow in stature, and so do his dreams. "Of course, my next dream is to play for the senior India team," he wished.

Fortunate to be coached by former India captain Renedy Singh when he first started out at Classic Football Academy, Sumit later played a crucial role in his side's AIFF U-17 Youth League title win in 2023-24. Classic FA have churned out plenty of players for the Indian national youth teams in recent years, and it's no surprise that they have seven boys in the current U17 squad.

"After we won the Youth League in Goa, I was one of the players called for trials to Srinagar for the U17 national team. There were almost 50 of us, from which I made the cut for the final 23," said Sumit.

The trip to Indonesia was the first stamp on Sumit's passport. It brought him his first international goal, but that feeling was far different from what he experienced at the Changlimithang Stadium on Friday night.

"The Indonesia goal felt different, since it was a friendly. That was also a good goal, my first one for the country, but the one against Bangladesh feels more like a debut goal since it won us the match in an important tournament. I don't like draws. We always want to create a winning habit," he said.

Sumit's heading ability makes him stand out. Quite literally too. Coach Ahmed noted the importance of a player with fine aerial ability like him. "When you have such a player, you should train and take advantage of that. Having him go forward for set pieces is part of our strategy," said Ahmed.

"Heading is something I practice a lot. It's my speciality. I head around 50 balls in every training session," said Sumit.

But Sumit isn't just about headers. Most of the team's build-ups start with him at the back as he scans the pitch to find outlets, and is also not afraid of carrying the ball forward himself.

"But there's plenty of stuff I have to improve," added Sumit. "My physical strength, speed and tactical understanding of the game. As a centre-back, we have to be a leader and guide the team. From the back, we see the entire pitch, so we have to carry the ball forward in the best possible way. We need to have constant communication."

And as a team, Sumit believes the best is yet to come in the SAFF U17 Championship.

"We can be better as a team. We didn't play to our potential in the first match.  When they set up a mid-block, we were passing sideways a lot. We need to find spaces through the middle and on the wings as well."

India will face Maldives in their second and final Group A match on September 24. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 28, followed by the final on September 30.