->Bentennyson123 at 17:22, 24 December 2021

2021-12-24T17:22:54Z

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{{for|the Indian cricketer|Ashish Rai (cricketer)}}
{{short description|Indian footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Asish Rai
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| fullname = Asish Rai
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1999|01|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Pakyong]], [[Sikkim]], [[India]]
| height = 1.74 m
| currentclub = [[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]]
| clubnumber = 44
| position = [[Defender (association football)|Right back]]
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = [[Pune F.C.|Pune]]
| youthyears2 =
| youthclubs2 = [[FC Pune City|Pune City]]
| years1 = 2017
| clubs1 = [[FC Pune City Reserves and Academy|Pune City B]]
| caps1 = 6
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2017–2019
| clubs2 = [[Indian Arrows]]
| caps2 = 29
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2019–
| clubs3 = [[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]]
| caps3 = 37
| goals3 = 0
| nationalyears1 = 2017–2019
| nationalteam1 = [[India national under-20 football team|India U20]]
| nationalcaps1 = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| nationalyears2 = 2019–
| nationalteam2 = [[India national under-23 football team|India U23]]
| nationalcaps2 = 4
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| club-update = 13 December 2021
| ntupdate = 30 October 2021
}}

'''Asish Rai''' (born 27 January 1999) is an Indian professional [[association football|footballer]] who plays as a [[defender (association football)|defender]] for [[Indian Super League]] club [[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]].

== Club career==

=== Early life and youth career ===
Rai was born in [[Pakyong]], a small village in [[Sikkim]]. He always liked to play football, even as a kid. He got interested in the game by his uncle, who played football himself.

He was selected by a local academy in his state at the age of 12. He travelled to [[New Delhi|Delhi]] to play in the [[Subroto Cup]], spent a couple of years there before joining the [[Pune FC Academy|Pune Academy]] which was later converted into the [[FC Pune City Reserves and Academy|Pune City Academy]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Coach Manolo Marquez makes sure that we are disciplined, says Hyderabad FC's Asish Rai|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/indian-football/coach-manolo-marquez-makes-sure-disciplined-says-hyderabad-fc-s-ashish-rai|date=20 January 2021}}</ref> Since, [[FC Pune City|Pune City]] already had experienced players in the right-back position, they loaned him out to [[Indian Arrows]].
=== Indian Arrows ===

==== 2017-18 season ====
On 29 November 2017, Rai was selected to play for the [[Indian Arrows]], an [[All India Football Federation]] owned team that would consist of [[India national under-20 football team|India under-20]] players to give them playing time.<ref>{{cite news|title=Matos Names 25-member Indian Arrows Squad for Hero I-league 2017-18|url=https://www.the-aiff.com/article/matos-names-25-member-indian-arrows-squad-for-hero-i-league-2017-18|accessdate=29 November 2017|work=The All India Football Federation|date=29 November 2017}}</ref> He made his professional debut for the side on 26 December 2017, against [[Shillong Lajong F.C.|Shillong Lajong]]. He started and played the full match as [[Indian Arrows]] won 3–0.<ref>{{cite web|title=Indian Arrows 3-0 Shillong Lajong|url=https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2017/12/26/india/i-league/aiff-xi/lajong-sc/2683986/|website=Soccerway}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=I-League 2017: Indian Arrows 3-0 Shillong Lajong: Luis Norton de Matos-less youngsters beat ten-men Reds|url=https://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/indian-arrows-v-shillong-lajong/bo7hhnnctrkzuygwdtrpsqp9m|date=26 December 2017|website=Goal.com}}</ref>

In his debut season, Rai made ten appearances, one in the [[2018 Indian Super Cup]] for the [[Indian Arrows|Arrows]]. Although they finished bottom of the table in the [[2017–18 I-League|I-League]], they impressed with their gameplay and football.

==== 2018-19 season ====
On 5 November 2018, he scored his first goal for the club in only his second appearance of the season against [[Shillong Lajong F.C.|Shillong Lajong]], which eventually was the winning goal as the [[Indian Arrows|Arrows]] won 1-0.<ref>{{cite web|title=Indian Arrows 1-0 Shillong Lajong|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2018/11/05/india/i-league/aiff-xi/lajong-sc/2928136/|website=Soccerway}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=I-League 2018-19: Indian Arrows emerge triumphant against Shillong Lajong|url=https://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/indian-arrows-v-shillong-lajong/3uxnqao2jrs8in8ihjmbth2zu|date=5 November 2018|website=Goal.com}}</ref> He featured in all 20 matches of the [[2018–19 I-League]] campaign and also a couple in the [[2019 Indian Super Cup]], as he became a permanent fixture in the right full-back position. The team improved from the season before and picked up 21 points to finish eighth in the points table.

=== Hyderabad ===

==== 2019-20 season ====
Rai went back to the reserves team of [[FC Pune City|Pune City]], and when the club was dissolved in the summer of 2019, their replacement club [[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]] signed him for their first team. He made his professional debut for the club on 25 October 2019, against [[ATK (football club)|ATK]] in a 5-0 loss.<ref>{{cite web|title=ATK 5-0 Hyderabad|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2019/10/25/india/indian-super-league/atletico-de-kolkata/hyderabad/3154673/|website=Soccerway}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ISL 2019-20: Five-star ATK rout Hyderabad|url=https://www.goal.com/en-in/match/atk-v-hyderabad/7xvmh1nd3u0bzs92nee175u22|date=25 October 2019|website=Goal.com}}</ref> On 8 December 2019, [[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]] head coach [[Phil Brown (footballer, born 1959)|Phil Brown]] heaped praise on Rai after he put in a splendid display in the right-back position, in their narrow 1-0 defeat against [[FC Goa|Goa]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Phil Brown heaps praise on Ashish Rai|url=https://www.goal.com/en/news/phil-brown-ashish-rai-hyderabad-fc-indian-super-league/1qumd1xeil9ii1awcs5fyyih7c|date=8 December 2018|website=Goal.com}}</ref>

The debut season of [[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]] was a devastating one for the club and the fans, most of the Indian players didn’t play in their preferred position and one of them was Rai. He played as a left-back, right-back and on the wings, too. He played 14 games for them in the [[2019–20 Indian Super League season]]. Due to the unstableness in the squad, tactics and many other factors, he wasn’t able to perform up to the mark and couldn’t give his best.<ref>{{cite news|title=Asish Rai – Rising Star of Indian Football|url=https://iftwc.com/asish-rai-rising-star-of-indian-football-isl-2020-21/|date=20 February 2021|website=IFTWC}}</ref>

On 17 February 2020, Rai signed a three-year extension with the club, till May 2023.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hyderabad youngsters Asish Rai and Mohammad Yasir sign contract extensions|url=https://www.indiansuperleague.com/clubs/1536-hyderabad-fc-profile/news/hyderabad-youngsters-asish-rai-and-mohammad-yasir-sign-contract-extensions|date=17 February 2020|website=Indian Super League}}</ref>

==== 2020-21 season ====
Rai and [[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]] set the stage alight in the [[2020–21 Indian Super League season|2020-21 Indian Super League]] season, under the stewardship of [[Manolo Márquez]]. The second season was a huge improvement for the outfit from the inaugural 2019-20 campaign, where they had finished last in the standings. Despite staying in contention for the playoffs throughout, the Nizams missed out on qualification on the final day due to a string of draws and dropped points.<ref>{{cite news|title=Indian Super League 2020-21 Season Review: Hyderabad FC|url=https://khelnow.com/football/isl-2020-21-season-review-hyderabad-fc|date=21 March 2021|website=KhelNow}}</ref>

Rai was in sensational form throughout the season until he picked up a season-ending knee injury against [[Kerala Blasters FC|Kerala Blasters]], on 16 February 2021.<ref>{{cite news|title=Manolo Marquez gives update on Asish Rai’s injury|url=https://khelnow.com/football/isl-2020-21-hfc-atkmb-manolo-marquez-pmc|date=16 February 2021|website=KhelNow}}</ref> The right-back’s industry on the flank and constant threat in the attacking third made him a tough operator for the opposition to contain. He featured in 18 matches of the [[2020–21 Indian Super League season|2020-21 Indian Super League]] campaign and also racked up two assists in the process. Head coach [[Manolo Márquez|Márquez]] called Rai "the most improved player" of last season.<ref>{{cite news|title=After a stellar season, Márquez eyes evolution with Hyderabad FC|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/football/after-a-stellar-season-m-rquez-eyes-evolution-with-hyderabad-fc-1007841.html|date=12 July 2021|website=DeccanHerald}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
{{updated|13 December 2021}}<ref>{{soccerway|ashish-rai/525729}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|Cup
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="2"|[[FC Pune City Reserves and Academy|Pune City B ]]
|{{Nowrap|[[2017–18 I-League|2017–18]]}}
|rowspan="1"|[[I-League 2nd Division]]||6||0||0||0||—||—||6||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Pune City B total
!6!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!6!!0
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Indian Arrows]]
|[[2017–18 I-League|2017–18]]
|rowspan="2"|[[I-League]]||9||0||1||0||—||—||10||0
|-
|[[2018–19 I-League|2018–19]]
||20||1||2||0||—||—||22||1
|-
!colspan="2"|Indian Arrows total
!29!!1!!3!!0!!0!!0!!32!!1
|-
|rowspan="4"|[[Hyderabad FC|Hyderabad]]
|[[2019–20 Indian Super League|2019–20]]
|rowspan="3"|[[Indian Super League]]||14||0||0||0||—||—||14||0
|-
|[[2020–21 Indian Super League|2020–21]]
||18||0||0||0||—||—||18||0
|-
|[[2021–22 Indian Super League|2021–22]]
||5||0||0||0||—||—||5||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Hyderabad total
!37!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!37!!0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!69!!1!!3!!0!!0!!0!!75!!1
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Hyderabad FC squad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rai, Asish}}
[[Category:1999 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Sikkim]]
[[Category:Pune FC players]]
[[Category:FC Pune City players]]
[[Category:Indian Arrows players]]
[[Category:Association football defenders]]
[[Category:I-League players]]
[[Category:India youth international footballers]]
[[Category:Indian Super League players]]
[[Category:Hyderabad FC players]]

{{India-footy-bio-stub}}

Asish Rai - Revision history

->Bentennyson123 at 17:22, 24 December 2021