Air India’s second goalkeeper has been warming the bench for long. And that was the reason the 22-year-old grabbed his chance with both hands today. Earlier in the season, Sharat had a lukewarm outing against Mohun Bagan and that didn’t impress his coach Bimal Ghosh much. But after Air India’s first choice goalkeeper Raju Ekka had a nightmarish outing in the last game, Ghosh gave Sharat the chance to guard the goal.

Sharat’s show didn’t just impress his coach but also the rival coach Karim Bencherifa. After the match Bencherifa said, “God was on the Air-India keeper’s side.” Sharat’s senior team-mate Paresh Shivalkar also said, “His confidence gave us the faith to hang on there even when Churchill Brothers was on rampage.”

But Sharat says that it was not just luck but those countless hours of hard work that came to his aid today. The goalkeeper is of the view that his stint with BMFC and the time he spent with the famous Nigerian player Chima Okorie helped him a lot. After joining Air India, Sharat got an idea about the level of play needed for I-League. That’s when he started working on his fitness under the guidance of Air-India’s assistant coach and former goalkeeper Yosuf Ansari.

In the 9th minute of the game, the Churchill Brothers’ came very close to scoring but Sarat rose to the occasion. Striker Iyomi Mboyo headed the ball from top of the box but Sharat leaped to palm off the ball. Towards the end of the first half the Churchill attacking medio Reisangmi Vashum placed a zero angel ball towards the left of the goal but Sharat once again collect the ball.

But according to the team management, the real reason for Sharat’s recent emphasis on fitness was because of a shock he got some days back. With his performance dipping because of lack of fitness, he was given a warning. “Shape up or ship out” _ was the message from the team management. Shape up was the option the Sharat took.