'They are all mentally strong, have bright future': Sandesh Jhingan on India's new recruits ahead of Oman friendly

India defender Sandesh Jhingan believes that the new players named in the squad for the upcoming friendlies against Oman and UAE have a bright future ahead of them. India will be playing their first international game in over a year against Oman in Dubai on Thursday, and coach Igor Stimac has named a 27-man squad that has as many as 10 uncapped players.

With younger recruits expected to feature in the line-up in the all-important friendly, it makes Jhingan's role important as a senior player in the team. On being asked about how he is looking forward to taking on this challenge, Jhingan said his task is easy because of the quality of the new players.

"To be honest, it’s good to see all the new boys who have come in. Players like Apuia (Lalengmawia Ralte), Suresh Singh and Sana (Chinglensana Singh) have shown that they have what it takes to be here, and have impressed the coach," Jhingan said in a reply to a query posed by the Hindustan Times.

"When I was new to the team I was guided by the senior players, but these guys are already so strong mentally, so I don't have to tell them much. I’m sure they will do well once they get a chance. These guys are all talented, level headed, and the future really looks bright for all of them," he added.

After facing off against Oman, India will take on UAE in their second friendly fixture on March 29th, as they build towards the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June. Even though, the road to World Cup 2022 is all but closed for Stimac's team, a third-place finish in Group E will give India a direct spot in the third round of the qualifiers for the Asian Cup.

Skipper Sunil Chhetri has not travelled with the squad as he tested positive for Covid, a week before the India team left for Dubai. When asked what he expects from his team in the two friendlies, Stimac said that for him, it is about giving his players experience of competitive football.

"I expect our players to get more experience, no more," Stimac said.

"We are not obsessed with the result. The players have to feel free and express themselves and not feel any pressure, getting experience is the most important thing in these matches," Stimac added.

"Our target -- from the beginning, has been to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup (2023). We have three games left in this stage of the Qualifiers. We are trying to provide enough time for the players to put in quality work before those games," the coach signed off.

(Watch India vs Oman - 25th March 2021, Maktoom Bin Rashid Stadium - 19:15 Hrs (7:15 pm) IST and India vs UAE - 29th March 2021, Zabeel Stadium -21:45 Hrs (9:45 pm) IST on Eurosport and Eurosport HD)

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