According to palmistry, people who have six fingers in their hands are said to be very lucky. Anyway, T K Jesin, who has six fingers in his left hand, turned out to be Kerala's lucky charm in their Santosh Trophy semifinal tie against Karnataka on Thursday.
The 22-year-old striker made an instant impact after coming on as a substitute in the 30th minute replacing the misfiring M Viknesh. At that time, Kerala were trailing by a goal scored by Karnataka skipper Sudheer Kotikela against the run of play.
It took just five minutes for Jesin to score his first goal and bring his team back into the game. In the next 15 minutes, he changed the complexion of the game altogether by scoring two more goals.
The lanky attacker mesmerised the capacity crowd at Manjeri's Payyanad Stadium with his blistering pace both on and off the ball. In the second half, he netted two more goals, taking his overall tally to an incredible five.
Hailing from Minervapadi in Malappuram district's Nilambur, Jesin is a product of MES College Mampad, which has contributed as many as 29 players to the state Santosh Trophy team. Jesin, who had scored a goal against West Bengal in the group stage, is currently the top scorer of the tournament with six goals. He went past Kerala captain Jijo Joseph and Kotikela, who have scored five goals each.
Jesin's first touch was almost a goal after he latched onto a through ball but Karnataka keeper Kevin Koshy came off his line and thwarted him. Within minutes, Jesin, an ardent fan of Argentine star Lionel Messi, proved too quick for Karnataka defence as he slotted home beating the advanced keeper.
Former Indian international Asif Saheer, who also rose through the ranks of MES College, has scored two hat-tricks for Kerala in the national championship. One of them was a four-goal effort. By netting five, Jesin has broken that record as well.
Jesin, who currently plays for Kerala United FC in the Kerala Premier League, had scored three goals in the South Zone qualification round of the Santosh Trophy. Jesin's father Mohammed Nisar is an autorickshaw driver while his mother Sunaina is a homemaker.
