Ajith Sivan: From Blasters fan to Blasters player

KOCHI: Ajith Sivan, the U-21 signing of Kerala Blasters was a regular visitor at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Kochi for the home matches of Kerala Blasters in the last three seasons. But little did he realize that he will one day get an opportunity to play for the club he was cheering for. But then life is all about surprises, the biggest of which came on Sunday when Blasters management decided to sign Idukki lad Ajith from the players draft.
"A duplicate jersey of Blasters costs around Rs 100 and I have bought one.But never did I imagine that I will be wearing the original yellow jersey of Blasters that the likes of Hume, Jhingan and Vineeth have worn the in the past. This is beyond my wildest dreams," said 20-year old Ajith who play as a centre-midfielder for his college side Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha.
Ajith represented his college team in the RFYS (Reliance Foundation Youth Sports) football championship and his impressive performances in the tournament saw India coach Stephen Constantine inviting him to the national U-23 preparatory camp for the AFC cup qualifiers. The ISL scouts spotted him during the RFYS tournament and recommended to include him in the ISL draft for the fourth season.
A big fan of Lionel Messi, Ajith started playing when he was in fifth standard after joining the Ayyankali Sports School, Thiruvananthapuram. Starting his career as a forward under coach David Lukose, Ajith later moved to centre-midfield after joining the college team. Though the players under the development player category are usually given a cold shoulder by most of the teams after signing them, Ajith hopes that he might get some opportunities to showcase his talent. "To share the same dressing room with some legendary players itself is a great thing for me," said Ajith.