Mumbai City FC prodigy Vikram Partap Singh wants to be the striker India need

The most common sideline conversation during Indian national team tournaments for a long has been, ‘What next after Sunil Chhetri?’ It was no different during the recent Tri-Nation Friendly Tournament in Imphal. India have capable players for all positions in the national team and there are others waiting in line. But despite all the efforts, a suitable replacement for striker Chhteri is still not to be seen. The 38-year-old striker has 85 international goals to his name, the third most for an active footballer after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but the upcoming January-February Asian Cup is being seen as his swansong. The question again is: ‘What next after Sunil Chhetri?’ Mumbai City FC’s Vikram Partap Singh has no qualms in declaring that he wants to be the striker for the Blue Tigers in the future. “For the national team, my first priority will be the central striker position,” Vikram tells Firstpost. Primarily a striker, the India age-group player has largely played as a right winger for the reigning Indian Super League (ISL) League Shield winners. While he appeared in 19 matches in ISL 2022-23, all of them came from the bench. The 21-year-old, who is still to earn a senior India call-up, is well aware that he has a long way to go and is not only dreaming big but has broken down his goals into short-term and long-term plans. “My goal is clear, I want to become a regular at Mumbai City FC, but when I get my chance for the national team, I want to be the central striker. Currently, we have Sunil Chhetri bhai and Manvir Singh playing that role. I play largely on the right win and that is also a role I can definitely play,” he adds. Talking about the challenges of switching between the roles of a winger and striker, Vikram said: “The central striker role demands physicality. As a right winger, you have more space and opportunity to make runs and do trickery. As a central striker, you need to be very careful about things like when you need to make the run, when you to hold yourself and how to beat the marker. So there are things that can be a challenge when you switch but it becomes a practice.” The ongoing Super Cup 2023 has come as a glorious opportunity for Vikram and many other players like him in the Mumbai side. With coach Des Buckingham opting for an all-India squad, Vikram has started both matches so far as the central striker. For the Chandigarh-born player, who has four goals this season, it’s a chance to impress the coach as he relishes the challenge of competing with other teams with an all-India squad. “I personally prefer playing as a central striker and now that I am getting that chance it’s important for me to make the most of it and focus on the job. Also if I am not on the right wing, there’s someone else taking that place, it’s an opportunity for them as well, so it’s good for the whole squad.” “The environment in the squad is very good, we have options for all positions in both senior and junior categories. If (Alberto) Nougera is not there we have (Rowllin) Borges. Our Indian players are as good as foreigners so we have a positive environment.” Vikram, who played for India at all junior levels (U-14, U-16, U-19, and U-23) and Indian Arrows, is also confident that the squad has what it takes to win the Super Cup. “In Super Cup, we want to play all five matches,” Vikram signs off. Mumbai began their campaign with a 2-1 win over Churchill Brothers in Group D of Super Cup 2023 but suffered a 2-1 loss to NorthEast United FC in the second match. They will face Chennaiyin FC in the final group game on 19 April and need a victory to reach the semi-finals. NorthEast United, however, can spoil their party with a win against Churchill. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News,  India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.