"We need to take these learnings into the I-League" - Shillong Lajong's Kynsailang Khongsit on Kalinga Super Cup experience
Shillong Lajong, known as the cradle of Indian football, has produced some of the finest footballers who have gone on to have stellar careers both for club and country. One of the most exciting prospects to play for the club in recent times is Kynsailang Khongsit.
The central defender showed just how good he is in his club's last Group B match in the Kalinga Super Cup against Jamshedpur FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday (January 20).
Despite losing the game 0-2, Khongsit was one of the best players on display for Lajong. He marked his opponents tightly and rarely gave them room to express themselves.
Chatting exclusively with Sportskeeda after the game, Khongsit mentioned that despite the loss, this performance has still given his team a lot of confidence.
"Despite the loss, we still have confidence. We look forward to playing against ISL sides to showcase our talent and prove ourselves, and this game was no different," said Khongsit.
"We switched off for a little bit and conceded the first goal there. Had we been more vigilant, we may have kept a clean sheet. However, this is a learning curve for us, and we must not get discouraged by the defeat."
"We lost today, yes but we also learnt a lot. We need to take these learnings into the I-League and perform well there. The goal is to do well in the I-League and hopefully challenge for the title," he added.
"I am happy that the work I am putting in the training ground is helping me in matches" - Kynsai Khongsit
Khongsit, who hails from a village called Mawlum Tyrsad in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, smiles often and speaks highly of his teammates' abilities.
The 23-year-old comes from humble beginnings and knows that despite such a good performance, he will have to work hard to become consistent for his team. The former Hyderabad FC player knows a thing or two about what it takes to play with the big boys.
"Most of our players are young and they were very keen on doing well in this game. Yes, we held Jamshedpur closely for major parts of the game and it would have been nice had we been able to at least pull off a draw, but still, there are a lot of learnings. I am happy that the work I am putting in the training ground is helping me in matches," said Khongsit.
The ultimate goal for Khongsit and his teammates is to do well in the I-League, in which Lajong are back in action on February 3. They take on Inter Kashi in their first game at home in the second phase of the league.