Pronay Halder's resurgence after injury troubles a delight to watch in the Intercontinental Cup

Ashish Peter

Pronay Halder's resurgence after injury troubles a delight to watch in the Intercontinental Cup image

Defensively strong, tactically aware, destroyer – these are all words which have been used to describe Pronay Halder ever since he burst on to the scene as a product of the Tata Football Academy (TFA).

The 25-year-old Barrackpore-born midfielder’s career seemed to be progressing smoothly after he became a graduate of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Elite Academy Class of 2011 which also included the likes of Narayan Das, Pritam Kotal and Holicharan Narzary.

However, injuries had somewhat stalled what seemed to be a promising career after fruitful stints with Pailan Arrows and Dempo. After spending almost the entirety of the 2014-15 I-League season out due on to an injury, Halder bounced back immediately with some highly encouraging performances for FC Goa while on loan and soon, he was being handed his India senior team debut by Stephen Constantine in a friendly against Nepal.

Post that, he was bought by Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan with the then head coach Sanjoy Sen going on to describe the defensive midfielder as an ‘inspirational young talent’. More international caps with India followed soon after and Halder’s career seemed to be back on track.

However, injuries again, along with a tendency to be overly aggressive with his tackles, hampered Halder’s career again with the midfielder not earning a single cap for India in 2017 with Rowllin Borges seemingly leapfrogging him in Constantine’s pecking order.

His time at Mumbai City FC on loan during the 2016 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) was summed up when he became the first player to be sent off in the competition that season during a clash against Atletico de Kolkata. Halder would go on to make only five appearances for Alexandre Guimaraes’ men as he picked up yet another injury.

" perform:prop=

So when Halder was picked up by FC Goa in the ISL players’ draft last year for a handsome sum, it was a chance for the man to put himself back into the reckoning for the national team. But that too didn’t seem to be going according to plan for the Bengal man with only some fleeting appearances from the bench to show for in the first-half of his side’s campaign.

It was only in the crux stages of the competition that Sergio Lobera entrusted Halder to do a job for him in midfield. With Goa shipping in goals left, right and centre, the defensive midfielder was designated as a starter in the side’s final three league-stage fixtures. The Goan outfit won all three of those games with Halder starting at the base of the midfield. They only conceded once in those three matches while putting 12 goals past the oppositions.

In the entire ISL 2017-18 campaign, Halder collected only two yellow cards in 626 minutes, showing a more disciplined side to his game.

That same discipline was on show in India’s Intercontinental Cup triumph as Halder worked himself back into the national team fold after a year in the wilderness.

His partnership with Anirudh Thapa in the heart of the midfield worked for Constantine during the four-nation tournament. While Halder cleaned up at the back and made the vital interceptions and tackles, Thapa sprayed the ball around. This clock-work like partnership was most evident in the opening game against the Chinese Taipei where Halder won almost every ball in midfield while Thapa initiated the attacks from the second ball. What was the most pleasing aspect of Halder’s game-play was his positioning in midfield where he seemed to be one step ahead of the attackers at all points.

sc

His sublime goal after cutting onto his right foot from the left in the 5-0 rout was a gentle reminder of the occasional ‘worldies’ that the midfielder is capable of at times.

Constantine himself was effusive in his praise for the Bengal man, saying, “Pronay Halder reminds me of me as young player. Very aggressive and he needs to control that. He's a destroyer and I'm pleased he got the goal.”

That Halder is now firmly back in the plans of the national team coach was confirmed when the Englishman said, “Look Pronay never left; it was injury that kept him away.”

The midfielder's resurgence has been akin to a phoenix rising from the ashes of its injuries and one can only hope that there is yet more to come from him as India gear up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Ashish Peter