Yan Dhanda is among the handful of players of South Asian origin playing for English professional clubs.
Dhanda, an attacking midfielder, has played for England's Under-17 side and has been with second-tier side Swansea City since 2018.
The 23-year-old's father is from Punjab while his mother is English. On Sunday, The Times of India published a report in which Dhanda gave his views on Indian football.
Dhanda, a British citizen, expressed his desire to play for India, which is currently not allowed. Rules specify only Indian nationals can represent the country in international sports events.
Dhanda told The Times of India “I want to represent India and believe I can really help the national team. I have been following Indian football and seeing the recent results which include losses against Bahrain and Belarus. They should be winning such games. I being there can improve results and benefit the players as well. Playing with better players always makes people better.”
Dhanda was confident he could improve the state of Indian football. “When I was young, I had opportunities to play for England and I took them. I wanted to experience playing for England and represent my country at a young age. Obviously now I have been playing with Swansea and following Indian football closely. India is in my blood. I believe I can go over there and help improve the results. This can be positive for everyone. For me, I’ve made the decision. I’d love to play for India and things can change,” he told The Times of India.
Lauding popular support for football in India, Dhanda argued “These fans deserve the national team competing against quality teams and moving higher. If players like me can come and play for India, it will help everyone.”
Baljit Rihal, founder of the Asian Football Awards, backed Dhanda's ambition. “Having Yan and players like him would give India a boost... In terms of OCIs, I think there are doubts that if India has such players, then home-grown talent won’t be developed. There should be a cap on OCIs. If they allow only three high-quality players, it can make a big impact. The government should think about this,” Rihal told The Times of India.
