Three weeks ago, India lost 3-4 on penalties to Bangladesh in the SAFF Under-20 Championship 2026 final in the Maldives, a result which raised questions on the country’s youth system and how it’s run.

On the other side of the border, the topic of discussion was the presence of the Sullivan brothers — Ronnie and Declan, teenagers from the USA who have Bangladeshi roots through their grandmother — in the squad. The movement to incorporate overseas players amongst the ranks of the Bangladesh national teams gained momentum last year when Premier League-experienced Hamza Choudhary made his debut for the Bengal Tigers.

For the Blue Tigers, Australia-born Ryan Williams became the first overseas player to represent India after attaining citizenship since Arata Izumi. Williams recently made his debut during the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Hong Kong.

In this context, two of the Indian U-20 players — Vishal Yadav and Omang Dodum — were asked whether they would want a similar strategy deployed regarding the youth teams of the country to improve the quality. And they had mixed reactions.

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“I think, at the youth level, we are much better. Technically, we are good. It is so because when we are younger, we have that hunger. As we grow up, we tend to become comfortable and have the ‘It’s okay’ attitude. For the youth teams, we don’t need them [overseas players],” opines Vishal, who bagged two goals at the SAFF tournament.

His teammate Omang, though, saw both the good and bad aspects of the prospect of overseas players.

“Honestly, it would be better if we get Indian-origin players from other countries. They might bring changes in our youth development. But not having OCI players means the India-based players, which is also a good thing,” Omang, who finished joint top-scorer with three goals at SAFF, weighed in.

Future ambitions

While their beginnings in the sport were drastically different, their career trajectories have brought Vishal and Omang to the Punjab FC Academy. Their most recent exploits with the Cubs were at the 2026 edition of the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL), where Punjab finished third after beating Kerala Blasters 6-0 in the third-place playoff.

Vishal banged in 15 goals, the most in this RFDL season. His tryst with the sport began when he was entering his teenage years in Varanasi when he would just kick the ball around at the nearest ground. His father runs a small dairy, while his mother manages the household.

The UP boy was also part of the Punjab FC team which beat Everton U-18 in the 2024 Next Generation Cup in England. Moreover, Vishal also became the third-youngest debutant in the Indian Super League last season when he made an appearance against FC Goa.

“I want to play in the ISL more regularly,” he said, a clear goal in his mind.

Itanagar-native Omang Dodum thinks inclusion of overseas talent would be better as it might bring changes in the country’s youth development. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Omang, who netted eight goals in the RFDL, said “he got it from his father”, a former footballer. He would be a ball boy during friendly matches his father, Kage Dodum, would play with his friends on Sundays.

The Itanagar local also got the special chance to play for the national team in front of his family when India played in the SAFF U-19 Championships last year in Arunachal Pradesh.

When asked about his future ambitions, he had an interesting answer.

“I want to change this narrative here in India that shorter players can’t be a good No. 9,” the diminutive forward said.

“A lot of people have told me to change my position.”

A certain Sunil Chhetri wasn’t the most towering marksman when he found the net 95 times in India’s colours, so Omang does have the perfect person to emulate as he attempts to flip the script.

Published on Apr 25, 2026