Panaji: Raised in America, Namit Deshpande’s great Indian football dream came true on Thursday.

The young NRI’s joy knew no bounds when he learned he made the India team for the Fifa U-17 World Cup next month. Along with Sunny Dhaliwal who lives in Canada, Namit created a piece of history – the first instance of NRIs donning India colours on the football pitch.

For Namit, the coveted spot also kept a remarkable tryst with his adopted country.

When the draw unfolded in Mumbai on July 7, first up for India in the first ever Fifa event the country gets set to host was the United States and it sent Namit and his father into raptures.

On the other side of the world, an Indian-American shared the duo’s joy. Sunil Gulati, president of the US national football body, witnessed his wish, expressed in a pre-draw speech in Mumbai, come true.

Destiny deemed that the two countries not only found themselves in Group A but also playing the tournament opener against each other in New Delhi on October 6.

“I am very excited, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime,” Namit told TOI, taking a quick break from the busy training camp at the Don Bosco Oratory ground in Fatorda.

“Getting a place in the team is a dream come true,” he said. “My father and I were watching the draw and were very excited when India came up against the USA,” Namit said.

The Deshpandes – Sandeep and Radhika, architects both – moved from Dadar, Mumbai, to New Jersey in 2006, taking six-year-old Namit along.

Now a strapping lad of 17, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 72kg, the central defender has the adrenaline already flowing as he looks forward to the match against the US.

“I grew up with many of the US players and I now have a chance to prove, not just I, but India are better than they are,” he said, confidence personified.

As a defender, Namit joined the team on a preparatory tour in Brazil and was pleasantly surprised. “To be honest, the Indian defence is a compact unit and play their lines very well. It’s well organized and it’s something I understand better,” Namit observes.

“The US are not really focused on the defensive line. They focus on build-up and just playing the game,” he said

Namit impressed the selectors who conducted a global scouting search which included video uploads from candidates.

Studying in the 12th grade at Eastern Regional School, New Jersey, he has had to do a juggling act to balance studies with World Cup training commitments.

“It was tough but with the help of Abhishek (Yadav) Sir (COO of the team), the federation and the entire team, I have been able to travel to and fro to meet my academic schedule,” he said.

According to Namit, the school itself totally changed opinion and rendered every possible support after Yadav contacted them, acknowledging the fact that India were due to host their first-ever Fifa event.

Namit is enjoying every bit of his stay in India, Goa in particular, and managing very well despite speaking broken Hindi and Marathi. His spirit and exuberance, not to mention ability in the heart of the defence, augurs well for India in a brutally tough group that also includes former champions Ghana and Colombia.