"Good enough for the Indian team": Kean Lewis looking to blaze his way back into contention

A couple of years back, Lewis came back to India after a stint in the US

Talented Indian forward with some skills in his bag. Now that’s not a phrase you get to write often.

In fact, even when you look at the current Indian team, we can’t really think of many who can really be described by that opening line. Sure Sunil Chhetri is the talismanic figure we look up to and Jeje Lalpekhlua is the goal machine that can’t stop scoring when donning the blue colours.

The closest that anyone comes to in regards to this complement may be Jackichand Singh. Then again, he is predominantly a winger. The same goes for Udanta Singh and Halicharan Narzary –  who are speed merchants of the calibre this country hasn’t seen much of.

In fact, India is bridled with the name of forwards, who never quite made it. Whether it be the ‘next Bhaichung Bhutia’ Lalhlimpuia or TFA standout Tarif Ahmed. Sushil Singh or the once-Kolkata derby hero Manish Bharghav. All who shined for a while and were quickly forgotten.

Kean Lewis, however, is a different breed. He is one, many can say, they will pay to watch. One who looks perfect for the long run.

A couple of years back, Lewis came back to India after a stint in the US where he got himself a footballing scholarship at the Fairleigh Dickinson University and that was followed by a stint with a selection to the Houston Dynamos’ U-23 side.

However, on his return to India, welcoming him were cold shoulders from different clubs who didn’t really want to take a chance on the youngster and the slushy grounds – where you could barely walk let alone run around with a ball, the same place where he was asked to prove himself.

But what Mohun Bagan saw on a fateful afternoon in a friendly was enough to hand him a two-year contract.

And in these two years, Kean Lewis has shined, like very little have. But sadly for the Mariners, never much in the Green and Maroon of Mohun Bagan. When Lewis starred in Mohun Bagan’s 2-0 win over Bengaluru FC in the 2015/16 season at the Kanteerava, many had thought Indian football had found a new star and Bagan a true gem on a bargain.

In the offseason last summer, when all the big names were resting, I had caught Lewis tirelessly honing his skills with the likes of Sarthak Golui and Deepak Devrani. And by the time 2016 ended, Kean Lewis was a name on the lips of every Indian football fanatic.

Lewis has proved that he has the talent to make it all work whenever he was given a run of games

Lewis, playing in his first season in the Indian Super League for the Delhi Dynamos was an instant hit. A crown jewel for Gianluca Zambrotta who trusted him and the forward repaid his faith. Composed in testing areas of the pitch, Lewis bagged four goals, helping Delhi clinch a spot in the playoffs.

“In the ISL, Zambrotta showed a lot of faith in me and kept me on the pitch even when I was not doing that great and that kept me going as well. And in some games, I went on to score later on in the game.”

Come the I-League, an unfortunate injury combined largely with Sanjoy Sen’s preference to play Katsumi Yusa on the wing, saw the talented youngster start only one game in the season. Quick, direct and having a penchant to make his defender do a full split every now and then and yet, Lewis couldn’t find a place in the eleven.

Sometimes not even in the matchday squad.

“ISL and I-League were completely different experiences for me,” sighs a visibly frustrated Lewis.

“At Mohun Bagan, I barely got game time with Sony (Norde) and (Yusa) Katsumi playing the same position. The same story as it was in the first year there. So if you aren't starting or coming on, it’s impossible to show your capabilities.

“I also suffered a nasty injury which kept me out for two months. So at the end of the day, my season with Bagan constituted of only a few matches that weren't that important in the AFC and Federation Cup.”

His exploits in the ISL saw him appear in the best XI line-up as he, along with Richard Gadze and the mercurial Marcelinho, formed arguably the most entertaining trio. And many would have certainly hoped that he was firmly in the sights of Stephen Constantine for a call-up to the national team.

But in recent months, Lewis has been left licking his wounds as many would not be wrong to say that he has become the forgotten man of Indian football.

While India had strutted their stuff for all to see, going on an eight-game unbeaten streak which will now see them head firmly into the top 100 after teetering at the edge of it, Lewis remains in the background, again working himself up as he looks to again shine in the coming season. His vision is clear and his intentions steadfast.

“My goal is to play with the national team. I am capable enough to do so,” quips the 24-year-old.

“And with Gods grace, when the time is right I will be in the national team, until then I continue to put in the work.

“It is great to see India do so well, and see the players I've played with take India to the next level. It'd be a greater pleasure to be part of such a side and take the country to even higher glory in the blue jersey.” 

Questions will keep hovering over as to whether he can truly live up to his potential and those will always have to be answered on the pitch rather than off it. But Lewis has proved that he has the talent to make it all work whenever he was given a run of games. And the people who have watched him should have enough faith in his abilities to thrive.