The brotherly bond between twins Yash and Kabir Bajaj did wonders to the fate of DY Patil High School (Worli) in their U-14 Div IV playoff tie against NSS Hill Spring (Tardeo) in the Mumbai Schools Sports Association's (MSSA) inter-school football tournament at Azad Maidan yesterday
Kabir, who is 13 seconds younger to the team’s regular goalkeeper Yash, replaced his brother in the goal during the tie-breaker to help DY Patil register a 4-3 win over NSS via sudden death after both teams failed to score in regulation time.
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In the tie-breaker, Yash managed to save the first attempt, but got nervous after conceding three goals in a row. Kabir, who plays in the midfield, then came to his elder brother’s rescue and took the responsibility of standing under the bar for the remaining two spot kicks. And he did a wonderful job too, saving twice (once in the shoot-out and then in the sudden death), besides netting one. “I saw my brother (Yash) was a bit nervous in the tie-breaker. I requested our coach (Hanzel Fernandez) to let me be the ’keeper mid-way through the shoot-out. Thankfully, he agreed and I’m happy that I didn’t let him and the team down,” said Kabir.
Yash agreed he was nervous. “I was fine till the final whistle, but don’t know what happened thereafter. I wasn’t able to concentrate. I’m glad that my brother did the job for me and the team. It was a crucial win for us,” said Yash.
Meanwhile, Prasham Shah, Arnav Bothra and Amaan Karachiwala were the other scorers for DY Patil, while Mitul Damani, Riyan Doihi and Maan Patel scored for Hill Spring.u00a0