Kerala Blasters FC travel to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi to take on Delhi Dynamos FC in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 on Wednesday. The Blasters picked up a well-deserved point against FC Pune City in what was their first match under new head coach David James. Captain Sandesh Jhingan, who has been a regular in the side, spoke to indiansuperleague.com about his thoughts on his club, teammates and the game ahead.

How much have you seen the league progress in terms of quality of play?

Of course, from the first season till now the league has improved a lot. I think most goals this season have happened in just a few games. Of course, it has helped the Indian footballers as well. You can see the guys playing good football. So, overall it has really helped Indian football a lot.

You were named captain of the Kerala Blasters. How much does that mean to you and does that affect your game in any way?

Well, to be captain of such a passionate club is a great honour for me. I was named captain by Rene (Meulensteen) who had been in management with Manchester United and Fulham, and to be accepted by players like Wes (Brown) and Berba (Dimitar Berbatov) ... I don’t think captaincy has changed me. I am still the same player. Just a few more responsibilities but it does not change much.

How much does it mean for young Indian players to be playing against superstars like Brown and Berbatov?

In the first season when (David) James came here, he was a superstar. Then others like Aaron Hughes came in. So, kind of used to it. But it’s a great thing for young players, especially for me when I was 21. So, to learn from them, the professionalism they bring to the club, you learn a lot from them off the field mostly, how they carry themselves. So, it’s a great experience. It’s a good feeling.

What would you say is the one moment of your career that you cherished the most?

I will always cherish most the moment when I played for my country the first time. And it will always be the most cherished moment.

How easy or difficult has been for you guys to gel on and off the pitch and what are you guys doing when you are not playing football?

We share a team unity. We had our pre-season in Spain and when we are together, it really helps the team gel well. Mostly the seniors play a big role in this. They let the juniors come and speak to you. And that’s where Wes and Berba are so good. The team gels very well. When we are not playing football, we play a lot of PlayStation. We had a tournament as well in Spain. We played FIFA. Karan Sawhney won it against Berba, I think. So, a lot of PlayStation in this club. And cards.

Halfway through the season right now. What are your thoughts on the club’s performance so far and what are your goals for the remaining games?

Of course, we have not performed to the level we should have. But that is football. We have 10 more games left, and we cannot think about what happened in the past. We had a few good games, we had two really bad games. But you can’t change it, you know. So, you shouldn’t complain. It’s what ahead of you that matters. We have got 10 games and if we can win as many as we can, then we should qualify for the play-offs, then go to the final and lift the trophy.

Delhi has been struggling, especially at home. What are your thoughts on tomorrow’s match?

Well, they picked up a point against Chennai and I saw them play and they were very energized and motivated. So, for tomorrow, if they are in a good form or bad, it does not matter. We just have to play to our best and go for the kill. That’s it.