"Bhaag Chhangte Bhaag!" (It means 'Run Chhangte Run') is the exact chant you can hear at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here when the home team Delhi Dynamos' lallianzuala Chhangte has the ball.
The young player was bit surprised when he heard an entire block chanting his name in unison. Coming in as substitute in that match against NorthEast United FC, Chhangte, soon pumped up, carried one attack after another from left flank with his familiar pace and trickery. But the effort fell short as NEUFC won the game with two goals to none. The 20-year-old wants the chants to keep coming.
"It is always nice to hear the supporters chanting your name because it boosts me with extra confidence," said the winger. "And I would love to see them keep doing that for me in every match, even when things don't go our way."
A diminutive figure in Chhangte caught attention of scant but loyal Dynamos followers with his match-winning performance in his debut match for the club in the Indian Super league season 4. The debutant scored and assisted a goal a piece against FC Pune City in a tough away game. "It was a very special moment for me to score and give an assist on my debut game for DD. We worked hard for two months for the first game and I was eager to step on the field. I am willing to work harder and keep giving performances like that in coming matches," said the footballer from Mizoram.
DD's assistant coach Shakti Chauhan, who has spent past four seasons at the club, feels Chhangte is a special talent. "If I have to compare Chhangte with other upcoming players who play in the similar position at this club previously, he is definitely one of the most talented players in the country. He got developed in various AIFF setup academies, where he got to work with international coaches. That gave him technical abilities better than players of his age," explained Chauhan
The winger has formed a discernible camaraderie with left-back Sena Ralte on the left flank. The Mizo duo often collaborates with ease and creates havoc in opponent's defence. Chhangte explains the reason behind their unequivocal understanding.
"Ralte is my best mate in the team. He is like an elder brother to me and has lot more experience than me. It is always nice to play with him and I'm learning alot not only about football on and off the field. Coming from the same region, we understand each other much better," he said.
If one has seen Chhangte in action, and is also aware of the day-to-day happenings of European football, then it's evident to the person that the young winger likes to imitate the recent and five-time Ballon d'or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The India international player got no qualms in admitting his love for the Portuguese superstar.
"Yes he's my favourite footballer, I used to watched his video and it inspired me a lot because the way he work is phenomenal and dedicate himself all the time to get better," he said.
Talking about the recent slump in form of DD after winning in the first game, Chhangte said the gap after their last loss gave the whole squad time to sit and evaluate their performance and overcoming those issues.
"It's not like we were playing bad, we did play good football and saw a lot of possession but we couldn't make them count. This gap of 10 days after the match allowed us to sit as a team and rethink our mistakes and gameplan. We worked hard on improving those faults and we are better side now," said Chhangte.