We suffered in Asian Cup, says Sandesh Jhingan

The next challenge on the road to Saudi Arabia 2027 is Hong Kong, a side led by former Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood. India had beaten Hong Kong 4-0 in Kolkata during the qualifiers for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup

Hyderabad: It’s no secret that the March FIFA window left a sour taste in the mouths of the Indian men’s national team players and head coach Manolo Márquez.

While the wait for a first win in 16 months came to an end against the Maldives, defender Sandesh Jhingan admitted that the goalless draw with Bangladesh was a substandard start to the Asian Cup Qualifiers.

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Now, all focus turns to the crucial away tie against Hong Kong on June 10.

Now, the Blue Tigers are hoping to extend that streak and make it three in a row.

The next challenge on the road to Saudi Arabia 2027 is Hong Kong, a side led by former Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood. India had beaten Hong Kong 4-0 in Kolkata during the qualifiers for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, with Jhingan playing the full 90 minutes.

“Ashley is there now, and he brings his own system. He was with Bengaluru FC and also did well with Afghanistan. But the team has changed a lot, and a new coach coming in makes a lot of difference,” centre-back Jhingan said.

“We keep preparing for that and want to impose our system and style on the game. Team bonding is something which, I can assure you, will never be an issue for us. We are in it together,” he said.

It was the first time since June 2023 that India kept two clean sheets in a row. That’s one side of the picture. For Jhingan, the bigger picture is that clean sheets are not enough, and only victory can satisfy the Blue Tigers.

“If my boys up front are not scoring and I just go in the dressing room and start bashing them for that, it would be the most stupid thing I could do,” he said.

“The three tournaments – SAFF Championship, Intercontinental Cup and the Tri-Nation Series – tell us that our squad has the potential. We suffered in the last Asian Cup, and I accept that, and I’ll be the first one to put my hand up,” he said.

“I remember when I joined the national team back in 2013 and debuted in 2015, we were ranked 173. I don’t think many people had hopes for us. We’ve had many moments like this since then, but we made it to two consecutive Asian Cups for the first time ever,” Jhingan said.