Seven years since, however, the Capital has brought back the memories of togetherness with all of them in New Delhi Heroes’ jerseys. Here, they have a senior too — in Zaheer Abbas (one-batch older) — but now there’s no room for any complaints. Instead, along with one-batch junior Satish Kumar, the six make up for the team’s defence and mid-field, all first-choice in the playing XI.

“We all were 16-year olds at the TFA. So, the bonding still remains. From the game’s point of view, we play the way we expect each other too. Understanding levels are better as our style is the same, having learned the game from the same coaches,” says Prashant Jaggi.

Back at the sports hostel, there were upturned cupboards, stolen stockings and a lot of shared apparels, but on the field everyone has to fight for his bit. “Our friendship ends outside the ground. Even during practice I remember going for hard tackles. Everything is forgotten once we enter the field, even seniority,” says Bhuwan Joshi.

The seniormost of the lot, Zaheer jokingly adds: “We’re good to our juniors. When we had joined the academy, we had to be the masseurs for our seniors after daily practice. In that way they (2002 batch) were lucky. Even if we asked them for a favour, we used to return the benefits. Everything was done in partnership.”

He also figures out the difference this partnership has made to the team this season. “Initially we weren’t playing together. In the Federation Cup the inexperience showed, but as we started playing together during the later part of the league, there was more control,” Abbas says.

The possessive game, Zaheer says, is a distinguishing trait for TFA alumni, successful or not. “Anybody who has spent a year at the TFA knows how to hold the ball. Small passes and changing the pace of the game at will are secondary to this quality,” he says.