Home SPORTS Sandesh Jhingan harbours ambition to be India’s regular captain

Sandesh Jhingan harbours ambition to be India’s regular captain

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Sandesh Jhingan also spoke about how he mentally motivated himself when he missed the last season due to injury…

Sandesh Jhingan has been the poster boy of Kerala Blasters and was, for a brief period, the captain of the Tuskers in the Indian Super League (ISL). He has worn the armband for the country as well, albeit sporadically. 

He is considered a natural leader because of strong presence and was the captain against China when India played out a memorable 0-0 draw away from home.

But the defender made it clear that he will not shy away from the honour of leading his country more often, as he thinks it would help bring the best out of him. 

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“Captaincy will not be any added pressure. When the lights are on me, stakes are high, the pressure is high I feel that I do very well. The higher the stake, I enjoy more. To lead India will be the greatest honour. Not everyone can lead India. I genuinely cherish when there are expectations from me. I will be love to be a regular captain. People only think that the man with the armband is only the leader. It is not like that. The 11 players on the pitch have an equal responsibility.

“Still, I will be a leader and marshall my defence and I cherish playing for my country,” stated Jhingan during an online chat show hosted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). 

The India international has been nursing an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury and missed a couple of World Cup qualifiers due to the same. But he feels that this experience has helped him come out stronger than before. 

“It is frustrating to stay out of the pitch. I could not play for five-to-six months. This is not something new for any footballer. Injury is a part and parcel of the game. You feel bad but I took it up as a challenge. The mental strength is very important to make a recovery when you are injured. You got to stay positive.

“I am a firm believer of, whatever happens, happens for the good. Sometimes when I am alone, I do feel bad, but you got to pick yourself up. 10 years down the line you will see yourself coming out stronger from all of this, you will be prouder of yourself. There are people who have achieved more than you and there are some who have achieved less than you. So be content and keep pushing. This philosophy has helped me a lot.”

Sandesh Jhingan India Thailand King's Cup 2019

Igor Stimac, the coach of the national team feels that the results against Bangladesh and Afghanistan could have been different if Jhingan was present on the pitch and the player shared how difficult was it for him to sit out those two games. India suffered two damaging draws against both their neighbours in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

“I felt bad as I had to sit out for those two games (Bangladesh and Afghanistan). I was very pumped up for these games. I took a lot of responsibility on myself, to make it happen, to keep myself pumped. We could have done better against Oman. We deserved to get three points. Against Qatar, we showed our worth. All the group was very motivated. But then this thing happened. That’s life. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise. Coming from him it feels great. I wish he didn’t have to say it and we had won those games. We will bounce back from these games. The potential of the squad is immense. The more games we play, people will see how good we are. People will remember this team for generations.”

The sturdy defender has ended his stint with Kerala Blasters and has not yet committed his future to any side. 

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