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Shillong Lajong goalkeeper Vishal Kaith a 'long-term prospect for India'

The Federation Cup match between Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong on May 10, won 3-2 by Bagan, featured one exceptional bit of goalkeeping by Lajong's Vishal Kaith. With his team down 2-1, 20-year-old Kaith had to come off his line with Bagan's Scottish striker Darryl Duffy bearing down on goal and saved the first shot with his face. The follow-up shot was also taken on the body by Kaith, and the ricochet from that got another shot on goal in response. This time, Kaith managed to get his feet to it, and in the same flow he charged out of his penalty box and cleared the ball to effect his fourth save in succession.

"I saw those saves, where he pulled off blocks with his feet, head and body. You have to be brave to do that," says Gumpe Rime, former Lajong goalkeeper and now the head of youth development at the north-eastern club.

Rime remembers the 2013-14 season, when Himachal Pradesh-born Kaith, then 17, was inducted into Lajong's youth setup from the AIFF Elite Academy in Goa. Lajong coach Thangboi Singto took just one season to elevate him to the senior team, taking him alongside 20-year-old Kunzang Bhutia as the goalkeepers in a youthful squad to the Federation Cup in Goa. Paired alongside Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan, Salgaocar and Pune FC, Lajong lost all their games in the group stages, but Kaith and Bhutia both got alternate starts under the bar. Kaith was adjudged player of the match in his second outing, a 1-0 defeat to Mohun Bagan.

Rime laughs affectionately when recalling that debut season for Kaith, especially his I-League debut in a 1-1 draw away to Sporting Clube de Goa in March 2015 where he picked up a straight red. "He handled the ball just outside the box, but that also spoke about his mental toughness. We persisted with him despite that mistake and he showed that composure in subsequent games," Rime tells ESPN.

2015-16 was a better season, with Kaith becoming a regular starter, and he played every minute of Lajong's best ever league finish of fifth this season. Kaith was arguably one of the best performers this year, bagging four player-of-the-match awards in his 18 appearances. "Compared to previous seasons, this year our team is a lot more mature. You see, the same group of players have been in action for the last 3-4 years, but then they were getting games only intermittently," says Rime. "Over the last two seasons, what has happened is that they are all playing together and beginning to develop that understanding. We can now count them as big-match players."

So how difficult was it for a teenager from Himachal Pradesh to adjust to life in Meghalaya? "When they graduated to the senior team, most of the boys - [midfielder] Isaac [Vanmalsawma], [midfielder] Rupert [Nongrum], [defender] Nim Dorjee [Tamang], Sana [defender Chinglansana Konsham] -- were all part of the academy setup," says Rime. "Besides he is also a pahari (person from the hills) from Himachal. So he just made the shift from the western hills to the eastern hills, and I don't think that adjustment was too hard to make."

Rime, who hasn't travelled to Cuttack with the Lajong side this time but is keeping himself updated with their progress in the Federation Cup on television, singles out Kaith's aerial ability and confidence at dealing with crosses as his most special qualities. He believes age is on Kaith's side. "He is just 20 years of age, and he has already had two full seasons of the I-League behind him. That has helped him grow in confidence. A lot of kids at that age might develop an attitude once they start playing regularly and performing, but not Vishal. He is a very humble boy and even when he is doing well, he is ready to work harder," says Rime, who hopes that Kaith can help Lajong match or even better their previous best Federation Cup finish of 2009-10, when they lost in the final on penalties to East Bengal in Guwahati, with Rime in goal.

"He makes mistakes as well, but I am sure he will keep improving on things like his footwork and distribution. He is a long-term prospect for India."

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