Sandesh Jhingan to lead India against Mauritius

by Chittu Shetty August 18, 2017

With Bengaluru FC player’s Chhetri and Gurpreet Sandhu not included in the squad, Sandesh Jhingan was made the new captain of the Indian team for the series.

Mumbai: India face Mauritius tomorrow in the opening game of the Tri-nation series. In the pre-match conference, Mauritius coach Filho thanked AIFF for the opportunity to play in the series. Filho seemed quite confident about his team emphasizing on the factor that there are few players in his side who came from the youth system of France, which will help them while facing against India and St. Kitts. Mauritius player Jonathan Bru also seemed happy with the opportunity to play against India, “It’s an honour for me to play for my country. And a good exposure for us to face teams from Asia and the Caribbean.”

When asked about the opponents for the series, Indian coach Stephen Constantine seemed happy although he acknowledge that he wanted to play against sides like Hongkong or Chinese Taipei, “It’s important that player gets acquainted with themselves. We must not forget that we haven’t played any games since June. It’s not easy to get teams that we want since most countries have their leagues going on. But we still got teams that will give stiff competition for the side. And it’s an opportunity for the youngsters to show case their talent. We have 2 games and that is good enough”.

When probed about which youngster will get a chance, Constantine denied to name any one. Saying, everyone has a chance, “we cannot take these games lightly. Mauritius were just beaten by 2 goals against Ghana and I believe they have got in them to challenge us. Same way St. Kitts from the Caribbean may not be same like Jamaica, but they play a similar style.”

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When asked what he thinks about the U-17 side having spent some time with back in Feburary. Constantine claimed, “I keep track of them and what is important is that they get an opportunity to play in after World Cup else all that money put on them will be wasted. Clubs should sign them and give them the opportunity to play.”

Constantine seemed happy about Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s decision to return to India. He said, “I think we should respect his decision. A few months back when I met him, I did say to him that he isn’t getting enough first team football which is what he should aim for now, having spent 3 years now in Stabaek. At Bengaluru FC, he will get game time so I think it’s a good sign.”

Meanwhile, Sandesh Jhingan was announced as the new captain of the side by Stephen Constantine. The Indian central defender seemed happy about it, “When I came into the team, I was just young boy. The coach brought in a number of other players along with me, (Rowlin) Borges and all,” he said. “Now we’ve progressed and become seniors, and now you see the progress in the national team. It’s a good step, the grassroot is the future.” When asked about his defensive partnership with Anas, Jhingan replied, “We respect each other and enjoy playing with them but it’s just not us, there are others too, like Pritam Kotal, Gurpreet and we all work together well that’s why we are able to get that clean sheets.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Constantine claimed there is no injury problem in the side, “Some players are a bit stiff but they will recover from it soon.” Constantine also explained why he picked Sumit Passi, “He was never going to play but it is my policy to help these youngsters, who were in the national setup and got injured, to recover in their rehabilitation process.”

In the end, Constantine also explained that one should not lose hope for not getting to play in ISL since he picks player based on their performance no matter what league they come from, be it ISL or a University.