Pravitto basks in glory after title triumph in the CFA League

The 21-year-old captured everyone’s imagination with his consistency and creativity, and it was all the more remarkable considering he was making his debut at the senior division.

“I played for RBI last year in the First Division. It was only after my college coach Satish spoke to Indian Bank assistant coach DC Noel that I got a chance to move to the Bank team,” explained Pravitto, who is pursuing his B.E. in Jeppiaar College. 

After helping RBI earn promotion to the Senior Division, Pravitto ended the trophy drought of Indian Bank this season. “I played the first few matches this year as a striker before being moved to central midfield. I enjoyed playing in both positions equally and had no particular preference for either of them,” added the 21-year-old, who scored nine goals and was also involved in several assists. 

Such was his impact that his coach Sabir Pasha labelled him an ‘outstanding’ player with a lot of potential and innate talent. Pravitto, though, thanked Sabir and the support staff for transforming him into a complete player. 

“The coach gave me a free hand from the beginning and he didn’t put any pressure on me even when I had an off-day. All the other players extended their full co-operation as well. It was a team effort that helped us win the league,” said the modest Pravitto, who is a native of Kanyakumari. 

Coming across as an individual with a frail frame, Pravitto, surprisingly managed to play all his team’s matches, even under the blazing sun, without any hint of a complaint. “I had no difficulty playing the 2’0 clock matches. 

“Even though the gap between the matches was not much, I felt no discomfort. There is no greater joy than to play for a team that reposes so much faith in your ability,” remarked Pravitto. 

The versatile player echoed his manager’s words saying that the plan for them this year was to avoid getting relegated.

“The match against Viva Chennai was the turning point in our campaign. We beat them 1-0 and we had no difficulty playing against fellow institutional teams. Even against the private teams, we managed to hold our own,” added the midfielder, who scored that all-important goal against Viva. Like many budding players from Tami Nadu, Pravitto too harbours hope of playing in the I-League and eventually the Indian Super League.