On a dirt track set in south Kerala, the rider on her Hero Impulse has made way through the sand and raced ahead.
Panchami and her Hero Impulse
Kochi :
On a dirt track set in south Kerala, the rider on her Hero Impulse made way through the sand and raced ahead. This daring rider, who let everyone else in the competition eat dust, can hang with the best in this motorsport. Panchami LS from Sreekaryam in Thiruvananthapuram is a dauntless rider and one of the few women from Kerala who has made to motocross at a high level. Panchami was one among the dirt bike enthusiasts in the women’s category who participated in Dirtrix 2019, a motocross racing event held at Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram recently.
The 21-year-old says she loved motorcycles since she was a child but she took it as her passion when she became a teenager. “I began riding a bike at the age of 10. It all started when I saw others riding motorcycles. But, my passion for being a dirt biker began at a later age,” says Panchami.
There is a saying: ‘Life is always a race towards your dream.’ True to this, Panchami was also enthusiastic about competing at high motocross events held in different parts of the country. Two years ago, during a practice session for one such motocross event, she met with an accident which Panchami, in biker’s language, calls a ‘throttle twist’. “Though I was passionate about riding motorcycles, this accident made me question myself about my future on the track. I was in ventilator for almost 20 days. Besides this, I had a head injury and a steel rod was inserted in my hand,” says the dirt bike enthusiast. The incident was a major breakdown in the pathway of achieving her dreams.
After her accident, the Dirtrix 2019 is officially the first event Panchami participated. She was the only woman from Kerala to compete in the event. “This was my first motocross event after recovering from a major accident. Being my first race, I was very excited and had a good experience,” says Panchami.
Getting involved in motorcycle racing was an uphill battle for her from the start as the sport is not popular in the state. Unlike other motorsports, motocross competitions require more practice and expertise. “When you are into motocross racing, only particular types of bikes can be used and sometimes these bikes need to be modified to increase its power. Not only that, the gloves, gears and jacket have to be proper,” she says.
Panchami has been trying hard to achieve her dream of going pro and has been practising hard for it. For the recent event, she practised at the ground near Kazhakoottam for several days. Aiming for more pulsating racing events, the youngster hopes to bring laurels to the country in the sport that she is so passionate about.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Steni Simon / Express News Service / March 28th, 2019
Mereena Aswani has a goal to make Malayali women get fit.
Mereena Aswani (right) practising at the kalari
Kochi :
At 7.30 a.m., on a recent Saturday, inside the large shed of the Dakshina Bharatha Kalari, at Fort Kochi, Mereena Aswani gazes at the women standing in front of them. All of them are wearing black: T-shirts, track pants or salwar kameez, with a red sash tied around their waists. Soon, they raise their hands upwards, move forward, kick their legs up, turn around, move forward, and kick their legs up again. Later, they sit cross-legged on their floor and Mereena guides them through a series of arm-stretching exercises.
For years, Mereena had been assisting her husband, kalaripayattu exponent Aswani Kumar, but on March 8, Kochi Mayor Soumini Jain inaugurated classes exclusively for women. “It was a desire of my teacher, Sreedharan Gurukal to start a Kalari exclusively for women and I have achieved that dream, with the help of Aswani,” says Mereena.
In fact, the duo got a shed constructed, with a mud-pressed floor, while spears and shields hang on the walls, which have been painted in red. At 1200 sq. feet, it is a spacious area.Once the local women came to know about the classes, they have stepped forward enthusiastically. There are Gujarati working women, ladies from the Muslim community, professional dancers, who want to strengthen their legs, homemakers and yoga trainers who want to learn a martial art. “The flexibility in yoga is different from the flexibility that you gain from kalaripayattu,” says Mereena.
The women range in age from 25 to 50 years. The training is different for newcomers. Mereena looks at them and evaluates their level of fitness. “How flexible are they? Are they willing to work hard?” she says. “I start them off very slowly, with just a few steps. After about eight classes, I will introduce leg techniques.”
One who has been a regular is 38-year-old Thanuja Rauf, an Ayurveda doctor. “I had been learning kalaripayattu under Mereena even before the classes began officially,” she says. “She is a very good teacher. My flexibility has increased. There is a lot of stress relief. And you get a lot of energy. So you are able to be much more active than before. It has also boosted my self-confidence.”But it is not easy. “Definitely, in the beginning, there will be body aches and pains, but you have to practise continuously,” says Mereena. “There is a saying, ‘no pain, no gain’. The biggest advantage is that you will be able to burn away negative energy.”Interestingly, Mereena has been burning away this negative energy for decades.
It all began when she was only ten years old. Because of weak legs, she would fall down often. So, the doctor who treated her told her parents that one of the ways to develop strength in the legs was by practising a martial art.
For the family, this was an easy choice. Just two houses away, at Fort Kochi, was the master Sreedharan Gurukal who used to hold kalaripayattu classes. So Mereena was enrolled. Usually, she would come to the courtyard every day at 5 p.m., after school was over, for training along with a few ladies and girls. “I was the youngest in the group,” she says. And over time, as she practised regularly, her legs became stronger and the pains went away.
But Mereena never stopped. “I was hooked to kalaripayattu,” she says. Asked the advantages of practising the art form, Mereena says, “Your body becomes very flexible. Secondly, in my case, I have developed so much of courage that I feel confident that I can tackle a man bare-handed. Also, through kalaripayattu, I am connecting with our ancient traditions, which are steadily being lost. We are blindly following the West which is not a good thing.”
Kalaripayattu has other benefits, too. Before entering the kalari (ring), the kalaripayattu artist touches the ground with his hand. Thereafter, he or she touches the feet of deities like Ganapati and Bhadrakali, at the different corners of the kalari. Then you have to touch the feet of the guru. “Through these acts, you become humble,” says Mereena.
Apart from kalaripayattu, Mereena also teaches yoga. Last year, she had gone to Germany to teach yoga. At the kalari, Mereena gives a body massage for those who have body aches and pains. Through all this Aswani is right next to her. The couple, who tied the knot on April 30, 2005, has two school-going daughters.
And they have a mission: to make Malayali women get fit. “They are unfit because they are giving up their lives to serve the family and don’t look after themselves at all,” says Mereena. “So I ask them to take out one hour a week only for themselves. And when they come, they experience a lot of stress relief,” she says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Shevlin Sebastian / Express News Service / March 27th, 2019
The Olympian Suresh Babu Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to badminton coach S Muraleedharan.
Thiruvananthapuram :
The State’s highest sporting honour G V Raja Award for 2017 was awarded to the athletes Jinson Johnson and Neena V by the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at a function organized at Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, on Wednesday.
The Olympian Suresh Babu Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to badminton coach S Muraleedharan. Sports Minister E P Jayarajan said to nurture the sporting talents in the state the government is spearheading various efforts including construction of stadiums with synthetic tracks apart from indoor stadiums.
“164 sportspersons, who have won national and international medals, were awarded government jobs while 248 others will also be appointed soon,” said Jayarajan at the event.
Other winners
Volleyball player Jinsy Johnson (college-level)
Athlete Ms Abigeyil Arogyanathan (school-level) for the best sportspersons in the academies under the State Sports Council.
Sports Council volleyball coach S Manoj won the best coach award. Mathews Jacob, Mar Athanasius College, Kothamangalam won the best college sports teacher award.
Assumption College, Changanassery, was awarded the best college for remarkable sports achievements.
Awards were also distributed to the winners of the 2016-17 national and international competitions, including Asian Games.
Kerala volleyball team that had won the 66th national volleyball championship and participants of the Special Olympics 2015 held in Los Angeles were also awarded.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / February 28th, 2019
Three-year-old Niah has set her sights on Guinness record
Come March 3, 2019, Niah Sanjith will be participating in a cubing competition organised by the World Cube Association in Thiruvananthapuram, where she hopes to do what she loves most — solving Rubik’s cube puzzle in record time. Niah, a 3-year-old cuber from Thathampally in Alappuzha can solve different variants of puzzle — 3×3, 2×2, and Pyraminx under two minutes. With her amazing skill to get uniform colours on all sides by spinning and rotating the cubes in a short time, the girl’s family is hoping to use the cubing competition to enter the Guinness World Records as the youngest cuber to solve three types of twisty puzzles/Rubik’s puzzle. “Niah is attentive and has a strong desire to learn things. She would watch older kids in our neighbourhood solving Rubik’s cube and play board games,” says her mother Tixy, a veterinary doctor. She can solve 2×2 and Pyraminx in under a minute, whereas she solves 3×3 variant in 1.45 minute. Dr. Tixy says that Niah has her own technique to solve the puzzles.
“Before Niah turned two, she used to bring the Rubik’s cube to me to solve it. I tried my best to teach her, but she couldn’t understand it. Later, she started to solve it by herself,” Dr. Tixy says.
Sensing the child genius, thecubicle.com, a leading online cube store has come forward to sponsor her. Niah is the first cuber from India to be sponsored by them. In a letter sent to Dr. Tixy, thecubicle.com noted this: “We are very excited to see Niah, having so much passion and interest in cubing. She is incredibly talented for her age, and we hope she can continue to solve puzzles and inspire young cubers.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Sam Paul A / Alappuzha – February 12th, 2019
The first batch of trekkers about to climb the Agasthyarkoodam peak on Monday. The first woman ever to undertake the trek can be seen.
K. Dhanya Sanal, 38, a spokesperson of the Defence Ministry in Thiruvananthapuram, created a record of sorts on Monday when she became the first woman trekker to commence a testing hike up the 1,868-metre Agasthyarkoodam hill, following the recent lifting of a ban that prevented women from trekking beyond Athirumala.
Ms. Dhanya, an avid trekker, said it was her dream to go on the 26-km steep trek up the forest. “I’ve gone on treks across the country, but this remained an unfulfilled wish. When the court lifted the ban, I decided to apply for a pass,” she told mediapersons, adding that she respected the custom of the Kani tribe and did not intend to disturb their practices.
It was after a three-year-long legal battle that the High Court ruled in favour of women’s groups campaigning for gender equality. In its order, the court observed that the rights of the tribes or the traditional forest dwellers cannot work against the fundamental rights of the petitioners and other women to participate in the trek.
Earlier attempt
An attempt made by 51 women and transgenders to scale the peak with the permission of the Forest Department in 2017 proved futile since the Adivasi Mahasabha, an umbrella organisation of tribal groups, moved the High Court and obtained a stay order. In the wake of the recent verdict, 100 women are among the 4,700 people who have registered to undertake the trek during the 47-day season that will culminate on March 1.
The second highest peak in Kerala , Agasthyarkoodam is believed to be the resting abode of sage Agasthya Muni, a celibate, as the legend goes. While the Kani tribe has proclaimed that they will adhere to the court verdict, over 100 people who represent the 27 settlements in the region staged a protest near the forest picket station at Bonacaud, from where the trekkers commenced their journey on Monday. They sang folk songs and offered prayers during the ‘Agasthyarkooda Gothra Achara Samrakshana Yajnam’ to preserve tribal custom.
Tribes’ version
Adivasi Mahasabha State president Mohanan Triveni, also the president of the Agasthyarkoodam Temple Kanikkar Trust, which has been spearheading the cause of the tribespeople in the region, said they would seek a legal recourse. “We have documents to prove that the erstwhile royal family had given possession over the land that has come to be known as the Agasthyamala reserve to the Kani tribe,” he said.
He also lamented that opening up the region to trekkers would harm the ecologically fragile region, a part of the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Sarath Babu George / Thiruvananthapuram – January 15th, 2019
Hayden Jose is still in ecstasy, hardly able to believe that he has indeed landed the job, which till a couple of weeks ago appeared too far-fetched that he didn’t even dare to dream of it.
As fate would have it, the 23-year-old B.Tech. graduate from Mukkattukara in Thrissur is now the head coach of the football giant FC Barcelona’s youth academy in Bengaluru. The papers from Barcelona confirming his one-year contract with the academy landed in his inbox late on Monday night, which he saw only when he woke up the next morning.
Things had moved too fast for Hayden, holder of D License, the license required for professional football coaching. For, the job with the marquee brand in the world of football had come calling way too early in his fledgling grass roots level coaching career.
Call from Barca
He was just three months old in his first assignment as coach at the Bengaluru-based Gameday Academy, which is being run in association with the Scotland football club Rangers FC, when a couple of weeks ago he received a call that probably changed his life for ever.
“It was from Jordi Escobar, the technical director of Barca Academy in Bengaluru. My jaw dropped the moment he said Barca,” recollects Hayden, who, however, is a hardcore fan of the English giant Manchester United.
Mr. Escobar happened to see a session led by Hayden at Gameday Academy and was impressed with what he saw.
He secured Hayden’s number from a friend and the call was followed by a hour-long meeting.
The next thing he knew he was at a trials for the job with seven others. He bagged it, and on Monday he was at the academy drilling young under-16 talents.
It was a day spent with young talents during a stint playing with Ethihad Santos, a super division side playing in Ernakualm Football League, that Hayden realised his true calling.
“I helped a kid and he was all smiles. That is when I decided this is what I have to do, bring smile to the face of countless youngsters,” recollected Hayden who was still an engineering student at that time.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by M.P. Parveen / Kochi – November 15th, 2018
Ashwathi Pillai hailing from Thucklay, 50 kms from Thiruvananthapuram, is a Swedish national champion in badminton now represents the country at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
Ashwathi Pillai (Photo: Facebook)
Kochi :
Think of sports stars from Sweden and names that come instantly to mind are Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Bjorn Borg or Freddie Ljungberg. Sports like football and ice hockey hold sway in the Nordic country, but an 18-year-old with roots in Kerala might change all that.
Ashwathi Pillai is the daughter of Vinod and Gayathri Pillai, hailing from a village near Thucklay, 50 kms from Thiruvananthapuram. Ashwathi, a Swedish senior national champion in badminton now represents the country at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
The bout will begin in the Argentine capital on Sunday and Ashwathi is in Group C with Malaysian third seed Goh Jin Wei, Indonesia’s Maharani Sekar Batari and Germany’s Ann-Kathrin Spoeri. The top player from each of the eight groups will qualify for the quarterfinals and vie for medals.
“It is going to be a great experience for me to compete in such a big tournament. The idea is to gain exposure against top players and use that in future,” said Ashwathi, who has clinched Sweden’s U-13, U-15 and U-17 national championships after moving to the country with her parents when she was nine.
She is trained by Indonesian coach Rio Wilanto and Anders Kristiansen of Denmark at the Taby Badminton Club near Stockholm and National Centre, Uppsala. She also trains at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Bengaluru, when she is in India on yearly vacation.
“My objective is to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I believe the Youth Olympics is a good step in that direction,” she said. “We have great facilities here and I train for around 25 hours a week. I get the services of strength trainers and nutritionists from the Swedish National Sports Federation, ” said Ashwathi who is funded by Sweden’s Olympic programme.
“I started badminton when I was seven. I used to watch my father play during evenings and would join him once in a while. I started enjoying the sport and didn’t want to stop training after moving to Sweden,” said Ashwathi, who will also compete in the World Junior Championships in Canada later this year.
Badminton, like tennis, was once a popular sport in Sweden. The first ever BWF World Championship was held in the Swedish city of Malmo in 1977. “Badminton and tennis suffered as new sports came in. In tennis, Sweden hasn’t had a big star since Borg and Stefan Edberg,” said Vinod, an engineer who works for an IT services company.
“Badminton is slowly gaining popularity and the association and the government are pumping in a lot of money to produce someone like PV Sindhu or Saina Nehwal, who can revitalise the sport,” said Vinod. Ashwathi could just be the one if she lives up to promise.
Achievements
2018-Became the youngest to win the Swedish senior national championship.
2017- Reached quarterfinals of Bulgaria Open.
2016-Won silver in singles at Polish Junior International Championship.
2015-Gold medallist in singles at Swiss Junior Open.
2015-Became Swedish national champion in U-15 category
adwaidh@newindianexpress.com
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Advaidh Rajan / Express News Service / October 07th, 2018
Who would not offer their right hand for a chance to visit Russia this season — to not just participate but to contribute to the World Cup frenzy as well? Musicians of Malayali music band Orfeo have done exactly that by going to Russia and bringing out an interesting music album that captures the mood and the memories. Called Davai Davai, it was released a few days ago and has become a topic of discussion among music lovers and football fans.
“Davai Davai means ‘Come on let’s go’,” says the violinist Carol George as he excitedly speaks about the album and its making, calling it the first music anthem created by Malayalis on the World Cup matching international standards and having visuals right from where the action is.
FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Official song of Orfeo Band – Davai Davai (Come On Come On)
“It all started when we were discussing what next, after our covers such as Padakali and Veerapandi Kottayile became popular. We are all hardcore football fans and used to play the game during school and college days. And our cellist Maria Grigoreva is from Moscow. We had plans to visit her country and shoot a travelogue, so we thought why not a music video along with it,” Carol recollects.
While some were sceptical if they could compose a good number before they leave, Robin Thomas, the pianist, promised to come up with an interesting tune in two days. “The moment Robin played it for us, we were all motivated. The music is the pulse of Davai Davai. No matter how beautiful the visuals are, if the tune isn’t syncing, there is no point in making a video,’’ he says.
There was no stopping the Orfeo team afterwards. “We really worked hard. Obstacles were there, but we didn’t bother. We got our visas two days before our trip,” he says.
Once they reached Russia, they got sucked into the football craze. According to Carol, they reached at the right time. “There were football fans everywhere. We never thought we would be allowed to enter the premises of Luzhniki Stadium which hosted the opening match of the World Cup this year. We got a lot of visuals of people playing football there. Interestingly, the day we went was a special day for Russians and people were all out at The Red Square, including the military. There were tight security checks, but we were able to capture the feel of the World Cup. The initial visuals in the video too were shot near the Square,” he says. They were very careful about not getting entangled in legal issues, so they consciously avoided capturing official buildings.
The lyrics of Davai is by Shyam Muraleedharan and Don Thomas and it has been sung by Sayanora, Don Thomas, Abhimanyu and Isabella Chepeleva (a Russian). To bring in the celebratory mode, they have also added visuals of people dancing which they managed to shoot with the support of their friends at Russia.
“We have a few friends there via online and professionally. Russians do not speak much English but we were able to communicate musically,” he says.
Robin who composed Davai says all he had in his mind was the excitement of football and the crowds. “I wanted the thrill of the World Cup to reflect in the song. The challenge was to make it simple and interesting, which can be appreciated by everyone. That’s how the Davai portion came in,” he says.
The team is getting a lot of positive feedback. “We have no words to explain how happy we are when some tell us that Davai is better than even the official FIFA song. For us, going till the World Cup Football venue itself is a dream come true and we are overwhelmed!” he says.
Apart from Robin Thomas, Maria Grigoreva and Carol George, the team includes Chandlu Nerimbodath and Francis Xavier on violin and Herald Antony on Viola. The visuals were directed by Steev Benjamin and shot by Ajith Kumar PS
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Kochi News / by Anjana George / June 14th, 2018
Naveen Manoharan (24), who hails from Varanad in Cherthala is now known as René Higuita among his friends after his ‘scorpion kick’ video went viral on social media.
Higuita is a retired Colombian football goalkeeper who was nicknamed ‘El Loco’ for his high-risk ‘sweeper-keeper’ playing style and his flair for the dramatic. Naveen, who is a die-hard fan of the Colombian goalkeeper, has been practicing Higuita’s audacious save since his Plus Two days. He started to do scorpion kicks when he became the captain of their village football team Vasco Varanad in Cherthala three years ago.
“My home is near the playground of Vasco Club, which has been organizing all-Kerala football tournament for the past 33 years. I started to play at the ground when I was a first standard student. While I was pursuing Plus Two, we had a chapter in Malayalam on Higuita, who wowed the world with his scorpion kick while playing for Colombia against England in 1995. Since then, I became curious, collected his details and watched YouTube video of his saves,” he said.
But, that special kick remained elusive for a while, he admitted. “I tried to do the scorpion kick and failed many times. But I was not ready to go back and I never gave up. Three years ago, I could do it perfectly. The video of my save, which went viral on social media, was shot on Sunday by one of my friends. He and my cousin Abhijith posted it on social media and now my friends call me Higuita,” he said.
Naveen, an ITI instrumentation holder, is from an ordinary family and his friends are confident that Argentina will win the World Cup this time.
This was Kerala’s sixth Santosh Trophy title and first since 2004-05. Kerala had downed Punjab 3-2 with an extra time goal to win their last Santosh Trophy in October 2004.
Kolkata: Kerala footballers jubiliate after winning Santosh Trophy by beating Bengal at Salt Lake in Kolkata on Sunday. PTI Photo (PTI4_1_2018_000155A)
Kerala held their nerves to beat Bengal via penalty shootout as they clinched their sixth national football championships for the Santosh Trophy at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday.
Locked 2-2 after extra time, Kerala goalkeeper Mithun V put up a stellar show in the tie-breaker to help his side win 4-2.
Ankit Mukherjee and Nabi Hussain Khan missed the first two penalty kicks for Bengal as Midhun V thwarted both their attempts.
Tirthankar Sarkar and Sanchayan Samadder’s conversion did not help as Kerala scored through Rahul V Raj, Jithin Gopalan and Jestin George.
For the final kick, Jiten Murmu took on the gloves but Seesan S shot past him to deliver Kerala their first Santosh Trophy since 2004-05.
Kerala had beaten Punjab 3-2 with an extra time goal to win their earlier Santosh Trophy title in New Delhi in October 2004.
Earlier Jithin MS gave Kerala a 19th minute lead before Bengal captain Jiten Murmu restored parity in the 68th minute.
After the regulation time stalemate, Kerala once again went ahead in the extra time when Vibin Thomas found the net with his 117th minute header.
Kerala had the numerical advantage in the last eight minutes when Rajon Burman was sent off in the 112th minute.
But despite the odds, Tirthankar Sarkar scored late from a curling free kick in the 120+6th minute to take the game into the tie-breaker.
However, it was a heartbreak for Bengal as they failed to defend their crown as the Satheevan Balan coached-side kept a clean record to clinch their sixth title.
The hosts were on the attack straightaway as Sarkar had two free-kick chances from the left side of the area within the first six minutes.
While the first one was duly cleared by the Kerala wall, left-back Sreerag G pulled off a goal-line clearance from a Monotosh Chakladar’s shot after goalkeeper Midhun V parried it away.
It was Kerala who broke the deadlock against the run of play when Jithin Gopalan intercepted a ball in the centre of the park and found Seesan S close by. He then showed some great vision to release Jithin MS on the run.
Bengal’s left-back Abhishek Mukherjee was off his position and with Sourav Dasgupta failing to track the winger, Jithin MS brought up his fifth goal of the tournament by slotting home through goalkeeper Ranajit Majumder’s gates.
All attempts by Bengal forwards were thwarted by the southern side. Monotosh Chakladar attempted a header from a set-piece in the 25th minute but it was straight to Midhun.
Skipper Murmu tried his luck after the half-hour mark from long range but the ball went over the bar.
Bengal finally put their foot on the gas and scored when Chakladar headed down a long ball and substitute Rajon Barman broke through to feed the striker who found the back of the net with a delectable left-footer.
Visibly tired, both teams slowed down in the last 30 minutes.
In the 117th minute, Kerala took advantage of the extra man and Jestin George’s cross from the left was headed home by Thomas.
However, Sarkar had other plans when he converted from a free-kick from 25 yards in the sixth minute of injury time, taking the game to a shootout.
Bengal coach blames injuries
Bengal coach Ranjan Chowdhury blamed their heartbreaking loss to Kerala in the Santosh Trophy final on injuries to key players.
Trailing 1-2, Bengal were reduced to 10 players with eight minutes left in the extra time, but they managed to level through Tirthankar Sarkar’s curling freekick in the 120+6th minute and take the match into penalty shootout.
Kerala sealed the issue 4-2 in the penalty shootout as Bengal missed the duo of Bidyashagar Singh and Sourav Dasgupta sorely, Chowdhury said.
“We had to make the substitutes all because of injuries… The duo was supposed to take penalties. It was a lost battle in the penalty shootout, much before it began,” Chowdhury rued at the post-match news conference.
Bidyasagar, who had scored the solitary goal in their win over Chandigarh, sustained an injury and was replaced by Sandip Bhattacharjee in the 90+2nd minute.
At the start of extra time, Sourav Dasgupta also picked an injury to be replaced by Krishna Biswas.
Back in 1988-89, Bengal downed Kerala 4-3 on penalties after they were one-all. In 1993-94, Cuttack, the match too was decided in the penalty shootout when Bengal beat Kerala 5-3 after they were locked 2-2. This was Kerala’s sixth Santosh Trophy title and first since 2004-05. Kerala had downed Punjab 3-2 with an extra time goal to win their last Santosh Trophy in New Delhi in October 2004.
For this edition, Kerala trusted former Calicut University coach and national team scout Satheevan Balan who opted for their youngest-ever team.
Kerala defeated Chandigarh 5-1 in their tournament opener before handing out 6-0 and 3-0 thrashings to Manipur and Maharashtra to reach the semi-final.
In their final group league, Kerala defeated Bengal 1-0 as they finished the tournament winning all their matches, and doing a double on the record 32 times champions.
“It’s a fresh team and my technical staff also new so I could work freely. I could choose the players I like and they have done an excellent job. We have thirteen players without job and they are young players,” he hailed, giving credit to the boys.
“We selected a very young team that we believed can compete. They proved during the South Zone matches and we qualified. We understood this team was capable to put up a fight against any other team at an all-India level and they have showed this in the final.”
Satheevan was appointed national team scout under Stephen Constantine in 2015 and the current crop of players playing for him will be hopeful of a national call-up.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Football / by PTI, Kolkata / April 02nd, 2018
