The three wise men dreamed of displaying the right intention in the couplet
Doha: India is all set to participate in the AFC Asian Cup for the fifth time in history, with the ball starting on January 13. The previous editions were in 1964, 1984, 2011 and 2019.
While the first edition was India’s most successful stint in the Asian Cup, when they finished runner-up to Israel (it was a round-robin tournament), the Blue Tigers never progressed beyond the group stage thereafter.
However, many of the current batch of players have the unique experience of playing in multiple editions of the Asian Cup, which India was not previously exposed to. At least eight players in the current squad have experienced the magic of the Asian Cup final round before, while at the opposite end of the pitch, two players have been part of the continental showpiece on three occasions – Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sunil Chhetri.
While the 2011 edition was remembered for former India captain Subrata Paul’s stellar performance against a strong Australian team, 18-year-old Gurpreet was sitting on the sidelines and taking it all in.
“It was an absolute joy to share the dressing room with Subrata Paul, Bhaichung Bhutia, Renedy Singh and all these legends and see them at the height of their careers. “I really enjoyed training,” Gurpreet told the-aiff.com.
“Being a young, thin, scrawny defender I was going to take a lot of beatings. But I was like a sponge, learning the ins and outs of the pitch. Now as one of the senior members of this team, I share whatever knowledge I have acquired over the years.”
The 31-year-old believes that the change in the Indian team started after the 2011 Asian Cup, which has now resulted in a group of experienced players emerging in the 2023 edition.
“There has been a big change in the last few years. In 2011, a lot of players were on the verge of ending their careers, so after that we had new players coming in,” he said. “Now we are at the stage where many boys have already played the Asian Cup – Sandesh (Jhingan), Subha (Subhashish Bose), and Anirudh Thapa were all part of the Asian Cup last time and will be playing their second edition. Around this time.
“Over the years, it has become an experienced and educated team in terms of footballing ability, although it is a hungry team,” said India’s No. 1 custodian.
For the Blue Tigers goalkeeper, going forward with the right intention can be everything. “Over the years I have learned that one needs to show the right intentions. As a player, I didn’t know how important showing intent could be in the last two Asian Cups. In 2011, I was just 18 years old and was lucky enough to be on the team, and in 2019, I was playing at that level for the first time, but I think I have the right intentions now to come in and try it. have experience. Leave it to others,” he said.
Centreback Sandesh Jhingan has been playing a vital role at the heart of the Indian defense for the last decade. The 30-year-old has played a key role in India’s qualification campaigns for both the 2019 and 2023 editions. However, the defender feels the Blue Tigers are at a stage where qualification for the AFC Asian Cup should no longer be something to celebrate.
“When we all came to the national team, at that time Gurpreet, Amrinder (Singh), I and we all dreamed of seeing India in the World Cup one day. It may still be a distant dream, but being a regular in the Asian Cup is definitely a step closer to it,” Jhingan said. “I think we are now at a stage where qualification for the Asian Cup should be normal and we should not celebrate it.
“Instead we must look forward to getting to the next stage, which is to qualify beyond the group stage,” he said. “Of course, it feels good to play in consecutive Asian Cups, but right now, it is time to work more with more intensity and passion.”
The Blue Tigers centreback clearly remembers the 2019 edition of the Asian Cup, when India won the first game against Thailand before bowing out with defeats against hosts UAE and Bahrain.
“Everyone talks about the Bahrain game, but I think we should have done better against UAE. We should have taken advantage of our chances against them. This is a stage where the margin for error is very low and even a small mistake can really hurt you,” he said.
Fullback Subhasish Bose struck a similar tune as Jhingan and said the next step for the Blue Tigers is to try to get past the group stage, no matter the challenges.
