Daniel Lalhlimpuia made his first appearance in Hero Indian Super League 2016 when he took the field as a replacement for the injured Jeje Lalpekhlua in Chennaiyin FC’s 1-1 draw against Atlético de Kolkata on Sunday. The young striker looked lively for the Super Machans during his 73 minutes on the pitch, completing one successful take-on and two key passes besides having 36 touches of the ball as Chennaiyin came from behind to secure a point. The defending champions now play league leaders Mumbai City FC on Wednesday at the Mumbai Football Arena, and the 19-year-old spoke to indiansuperleague.com ahead of the game and shared his thoughts. Here are the excerpts from the interview.You had an impressive debut against ATK, so what are the positives that you want to take from that game?I learnt a lot from the first game and I think it was disappointing that Jeje got injured and I had to go in without any warm-up, and the first half was tough for me. But in the second half as a team we did very well and individually I settled down, so I think it was positive for me.How are the preparations for a tough clash against Mumbai?It is going to be a tough game and the preparations are going really well and in the second half of the last game we had great intensity, and if we take that into this game, then we have a great chance to win, and as you know the table is tight and we can’t afford to give away points anymore and we are ready for it.Playing alongside the likes of David Succi and Bernard Mendy, how has your experience been with them on and off the field?You know as a young footballer it is always a pleasure to play alongside great footballers and I have learnt a lot from them on and off the field.How has the learning been under Marco Materazzi?It has been great and I want to thank him for giving me a chance to play in the ISL, and he is a great coach and it is an honour to play under him.With Jeje and Maurizio Peluso injured there is an added responsibility on your shoulders, so how are you handling this pressure?It is disappointing that they are injured and whoever plays [tomorrow] I am sure will give their best.
