‘Our full focus is on AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers’: India national team head coach Khalid Jamil

BENGALURU: The India national team head coach Khalid Jamil was delighted to finish third and win the bronze medal in their debut CAFA Nations Cup.

The Blue Tigers experienced a brilliant campaign in the CAFA Nations Cup with Jamil at the helm for the very first time. They stunned hosts Tajikistan by a 2-1 scoreline in their opening fixture while succumbing to a 0-3 defeat against Iran and shared points against Afghanistan to make their way to the third-place playoff.

Jamil’s men edged out Oman on penalties in the playoff fixture to win the bronze medal despite being the third-lowest-ranked team in the competition.

The Indian head coach commended his players’ collective efforts that propelled them to record a positive result in his first assignment. However, Jamil has his eyes set on the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 Final Round Qualifiers matches, where they will face Singapore twice in October.

“The CAFA Nations Cup was a great platform where our boys showed character, and now our full focus is on the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against Singapore,” Jamil said in a press conference, as quoted from the official website of ISL.

The Blue Tigers will first travel to Singapore on October 9 for the away fixture. Jamil anticipated a tough challenge away from home but urged his players to work their socks off in the training ahead of the crucial tie.

“Yes, it’ll be a difficult away game. We have to prepare well and give our best to get a positive result,” Jamil shared.

Despite being out of the national team squad in recent times, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu found himself back on India duties as soon as Jamil took over the charge. The head coach heaped praise on the seasoned goalkeeper’s experience and defining performance over the years, both for his club and country.

The Bengaluru FC shot-stopper played a pivotal role in the Oman game, helping the Blue Tigers win on penalties to secure the Bronze medal. Speaking in context, Jamil remarked,

“I believe in Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu). He is a good player, and he’s experienced. We need him. I have been watching his performance for a long time. So it’s my pleasure to be his coach,” he noted.

Jamil called nine players from India’s AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers ahead of the Singapore game. Players like Muhammed Suhail, Mohammed Aimen, and Vibin Mohanan, who caught eyes in the recent outings, have made it to the probable squad, and the head coach remained optimistic about these players doing well.

“It’s about giving a chance to those who are doing well. The U23 players are good and we’ll definitely choose them,” he opined.

Jamil had an update on centre-back Sandesh Jhingan, who suffered a jaw injury against Iran, and also shared his thoughts on Sunil Chhetri’s potential return to the national team setup.

“Sandesh (Jhingan) will be available for the next game. Talking about Sunil (Chhetri), he did well last year. So I think this is the correct time to give him another chance,” Jamil quoted. (ANI)