New Kick On The Block

We present the new face of Indian football: Jeje Lalpekhlua, who has Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri raving.

- Aasheesh Sharma

THE BEATLES classic playing in the car is evoking a mix of nostalgia and amusement in the person at the wheel. “Tomorrow may rain? It rains every day of the month in Aizawl in July,” quips Jeje Lalpekhlua, 25, Indian football’s new goal-scoring sensation, as he guides his white Creta SX Plus across the Mizo capital through a light drizzle.

Our destination is the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Mualpui, on the outskirts of the city. As we move from Zarkawt, near the city centre, across Bara Bazaar, the Chhinga Veng church, the Millennium Centre Mall and College Veng, it becomes clear that the footballer enjoys star status here. Cabbies stop their Maruti 800 taxis and honk; students on bicycles gesticulate with cries of ‘Jeje, Jeje!’ and even Mizo singer Rosy K Remsangpuii, a YouTube sensation, flags him down at an intersection to exchange pleasantries.

As we near the stadium, the downpour becomes stronger, reducing the traffic to a crawl. The way Jeje negotiates his SUV through the bylanes, snaking his way through a maze of scooties, motorcycles, trucks and cars, the manoeuvring qualities of the striker known to position himself strategically in the penalty box, come to the fore. As is expected of an explosive football forward, being at the right place at the right moment comes effortlessly to Jeje Lalpekhlua.

TOP OF THE POPS

Ever since he made his international debut five years ago, Jeje, as he is popularly known in football circles, has made his presence felt in India’s forward line, along with skipper Sunil Chhetri. In May 2015, he won the I-League with Mohun Bagan. Six months later, he was part of the Chennaiyin FC outfit that lifted the Indian Super League (ISL) trophy and in January this year, he scored thrice in four matches during the South Asian Football Federation championship.