How do you look back at that brilliant save that helped India won the title?
It was a hugely important save. The match and the trophy were up for grabs and all of our fans wanted it to happen. As a goalkeeper that’s what you want to do, stand up to challenges. Win it for your team. When you play professional sport you want these moments. Deep down you want challenges to come your way. This penalty was one such. It was my opportunity to do something for the team, for the country and I am glad I was able to do so. I was focussed. I was trying to anticipate and back myself. And that save has helped give the fans a voice. I can tell you I am delighted. I had an opportunity to speak to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey. The AIFF wants the national team to play 15- 20 games in a year. Your thoughts?
The Indian national team has played nine games in the last month or so. I don’t remember the last time such a thing happened. So, this is a welcome development. The more we play against better opponents, the better it is for us as a team. The only way you can judge yourself is by playing frequently against better teams. I am privileged to be a part of Indian football at a time like this.
Sunil Chhetri was brilliant throughout the tournament. How do you rate him as a captain?
Chhetri bhai is an inspiration. He is a national role model, and I am not just saying it for the sake of saying. It takes a lot to lead by example and he does that every minute. In the dressing room or during practice, he is conscious of every requirement the player may have. If there is anything that a player needs, Chhetri bhai will make sure that he gets it. On the pitch, he is the perfect ambassador for the sport. In fact, we as a team are fortunate and privileged to have him as our captain.
You tried your hand at playing in Europe. Do you think one Indian superstar in a European league is the breakthrough we need?
It depends on a player and how motivated he or she is to push the bar. How much one is willing to sacrifice and give it a shot. Having said that, it is essential that one does so at 15-16 years of age. That’s when you are best placed to make a difference. In our case, we tried when we were older and by then things had moved on. So, my advice to any youngster will be to give it a shot early if they believe they have the mettle.
Tell us about Igor Stimac’s coaching style.
Coach has done exceedingly well in introducing young blood in the team. And the second thing he has done is made us competitive. If you see, we have now started to compete against every team we play. This will only get better with time and I think it is a lasting legacy of the coach.
There seems to be a lot of improvement in the team’s fitness.
It is the result of us training together for 6-7 straight weeks. There is now a culture and every player has bought into it. Chhetri bhai started it and now everyone in the set up knows what is expected of them.
The Asian Cup next year will be the tournament to test India’s improvement. Do you think the SAFF victory has readied the team for it?
It has certainly instilled confidence. We all have started to collectively believe that this team can do well at the Asian cup. Playing and beating good teams is what will help us judge ourselves
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