ISL too young for relegation-promotion: Sandesh Jhingan

Sandesh Jhingan is proving day after day that even at 25, he has all the qualities of being a great leader on and off the football field. A recent example would be the faith put in him by the national coach, Stephen Constantine, to captain India in a hard-fought draw against mighty China. He has already been leading his ISL team, Kerala Blasters, since last season. The future of Indian football, most would agree, looks to be in good hands.

The burly defender is back in action in the ISL this weekend, as his side takes on Delhi Dynamos on Oct 20 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi. He was adjudged man of the match in the Blasters's last game against Mumbai City FC, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

As current holder of the record for the most appearances in the league, and winner of the first season's emerging player award, he certainly knows a thing or two about the impact the ISL has had on the nation's footballing landscape. He shares his thoughts on the league with THE WEEK. Excerpts:

The national youth teams have had some decent outings of late. To what would you credit this improved show?

Looking at all the ISL clubs coming and investing in academies, people have realised that youth are the future. With all these good academies and coaches coming, these boys are learning well. I credit our developed youth system [for the improvement].

In what way has the ISL benefited young football enthusiasts?

You need local heroes, and that is what the ISL has done—produce local heroes.

Growing up as a Manchester United fan, what was it like playing alongside Wes Brown last year?

When Wes came, it was like a fan moment for me. The same with Berbatov. Wes is a real legend, and a real great guy to partner in defence. It was a dream come true.

My friends who support Man United got really jealous when they found out I would be playing with Wes. He is the most humblest guy I know, despite all he has achieved in his life, and I loved playing with him.

You have also often expressed your admiration for fellow defenders Aaron Hughes and Nemanja Lakic-Pesic.

Hughes is the best person I have ever met in my life. I can proudly say that. I have observed him closely and learnt from him how to carry myself off the field.

Pesic and I are best friends and we have a great on-field partnership. We hang out a lot, too, and hope we keep getting better. I really enjoy their company.

So, having such foreigners around is a plus for young Indian footballers?

Absolutely. Tim Cahill, Robbie Keane... it's great that we get to play these guys. They have that mental edge that defined their careers and it improves you as a player.

Foreign recruits certainly help us a lot and they teach you how to carry yourself not only on the pitch, but off it, too. It's not the two hours on the pitch, it's what you do in the remaining 22 hours that makes you great. And these are the things we learnt from them.

One of the ISL's biggest criticism has been the absence of a relegation-promotion system. Every country that has a strong national team has a structured league system. Don't you think we should, too?

We have relegation and promotion in the I-League, as for the ISL... well, this topic is very delicate, so I cannot comment much on it. But, the way I see it, is that the ISL is a baby. It is too young to have a lot of alterations. The way it is going right now, I think we are on the right track.

If we have relegation and all that now, it might mess everything up. Maybe, after three to four years, when we get more teams and with the I-League also getting more structured, then maybe we can try something out.

So yeah, I agree that we should have a more structured system, but I think it will take some time. We should be patient because things are going well right now. If we have to judge or check whether progress is there or not, you only judge by how the national team is playing. The juniors are doing great and that is how you know we are on the right track.

What is the road ahead for Indian football like?

There is still a lot of work to be done. We are a big nation. We cannot depend on just a few states to produce players. I will be very happy when we have a national team with players from every state, be it Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand or Madhya Pradesh. Football culture should spread everywhere.

Luka Modric, small guy from a small country, won FIFA's The Best award this year. Don't you wish an Indian would win it someday?

Inshallah, I hope someday someone does. But personally, I'm not a big fan of individual awards. I would be more proud if an Indian team wins the AFC Cup or if an Indian plays in Europe and wins the Champions League.

Jhingan appears on the cover of the November issue of Smart Life magazine.