People have started taking active interest in football due to ISL, claims Sandesh Jhingan

Sandesh Jhinghan, arguably the most important member of the Indian squad, barring Sunil Chhetri, was the find of the inaugural season of the Indian Super League back in 2014. Having made his senior debut for Sikkim United in 2011, it was only during his stint with Kerala Blasters FC that he gained prominence. The center-back feels that the Indian Super League has popularised Indian football to an extent where the people are now taking an active interest in the game, unlike pre-ISL days.

“One thing that I always felt before 2013-14 was that no one cared about Indian football. Apart from a handful, no one really knew Indian football. Now, I see that people are taking an active interest in football. So the ISL has popularised the game in the country. At the end of the day, you have to accept that the league has helped Indian football, it has helped the national team and now there are so many people turning up for matches,” said Sandesh Jhinghan, as reported by Bridge.

It was following the 2014 ISL that the center-back earned an International cap and since then he’s never looked back. We have seen other players cropping up in subsequent years in the ISL, including the likes of Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, and Abdul Sahal Samad - with each of them a regular in the Indian setup right now.