Everyone only expects us to improve and work hard — Indian youngster Akash Mishra speaks his mind

Being one of the teams with the least goals conceded, the reason for the season's success can be resonated with the stout performance at the back. 20-year-old left-back Akash Mishra has been a pillar in the back four for the Nizams as he gave tough competition to some of the ablest Indian and foreign players. The former Indian Arrows player had also been featured in the FIFA Team of The Week and became the first Indian to do so.

Mishra had some stellar defensive statistics for someone his age, playing at par with able players against him, and facing some of the best attacks in the league. Playing 23 games throughout the season, Mishra made 62 clearances with 52 interceptions and a passing rate of 36 average passes every game. The youngster also has two goals and three important assists to his name. Mishra's performances have developed a lot of expectations surrounding him, as the player keeps on improving his terms.

Speaking exclusively to The Bridge, on the pressure that adds as expectations add around him, the defender stated, "Yes, there is always a lot of pressure. But we have teammates who help, seniors in the squad that teach us which is very important. However, once you are on the ground, you are a part of the team and start playing, the pressure does not play such a big role."

"For youngsters like me, I think the expectations are not very high, which also helps reduce pressure. Everyone only expects us to improve and work hard. Doing that reduces the pressure on us even more." he added.

Hailing from the town of Balrampur near Lucknow, Mishra was not provided with a lot of positive responses in choosing the beautiful game of football over a regularly paid job with a thought that the chances of making it big for him were really slim if not none. Mishra changed the feelings of his family for the better as he made it into the U-Dream Academy team and became one of the very few, hand-picked players to earn a scholarship to train in Germany. The defender trained there for three years, learning all the professional aspects of the game, before returning to the country as an able athlete. Reminiscing the stint in Germany, Mishra told,

"I was an amateur football player before going to Germany. I only trained in my hometown and my state but after going to Germany, I learnt the right way to play the game."

"I worked on my basics, improved my technique and that helps me even to this day.

The knowledge I acquired there as a professional footballer is invaluable." Although the German stint shaped him into a better footballer, his breakthrough came through the Indian Arrows. Indian Arrows have been a set-up that has given a lot of chances to youngsters in developing them. Akash Mishra was absolutely grateful to the set-up that helped him in being picked up by Manolo Marquez for Hyderabad FC. Resonating on the topic, the young defender stated,

"I would always give a lot of credit to the Indian Arrows set up as that was where my professional career started off. There were so many good teams and overseas players in the I-League and playing with and against them was a huge learning experience for me at a young age."

"Youngsters like me need a lot of game time and to get to play for the Arrows and learn every day was very important for me at that time of my career." Mishra's performances earned him a call in the senior team by head coach Igor Stimac, although playing in certain friendlies, Mishra is yet to make his appearance in an official tournament. He is set to make his debut for the senior team in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers to be held in Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan from June 8.