 He won the IFA Shield and reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup with Mahindra and caught the eye of newly appointed India coach Bob Houghton.Initially he was used as a left back by the English tactician but by the start of the 2007 Nehru Cup, Pradeep was in the India squad as a goal scoring midfielder.India's first goal in that competition was scored by the man from Kerala but his best moment came in the final.