On Saturday, all eyes nationwide will be on the Indian national team, when they lock horns with neighbours People’s Republic of China at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Suzhou City in an international friendly. The match marks a historic occasion as the Blue Tigers will be on the visiting side for the first time against the Chinese Dragons, with the two nations clashing against each other after a break of 21 years.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated encounter, which is seen as a prelude to India’s preparations for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2019, national head coach Stephen Constantine was present to address the media. He started off the press conference by saying, “I would like to thank the Chinese Football Association for their hospitality. We have been very well treated with everything here and everything’s been in good order. We trained yesterday, the pitches here are in superb condition and we look forward to training in the main stadium. Of course, we’re looking forward to tomorrow’s game and everyone has trained well.”

Though China are currently in a poor run of form, Constantine is in no mood to dismiss the threat they possess. “Look Rome was not built in one day. I think we know quite a lot of the Chinese team and we are not fooled by some of the results they’ve had. They’re a good side and they have a great coach and these things take time. I know everyone wants results immediately, but you have to take time and build the team and Mr. Marcello Lippi (China’s head coach) is trying to do that. We expect a very difficult game tomorrow. We know that they have very good players in their national team. We expect a tough game and it will be a tough game.”

The Englishman has decided to give the captain’s armband to defender Sandesh Jhingan and when asked the reason behind this appointment, Constantine said, “The captain has to reflect the coach. He’s a fighter, a leader and he gives everything on the pitch, which most of the players do. I think he’s going to be one of the leaders going forward for India. I thought for the magnitude of this game, he deserves the responsibility and I have no questions at all.”

Kerala Blasters’ skipper and now the man-in-charge to lead the Indian team out on Saturday was also present alongside Constantine. Jhingan commenced by talking about the match in hand, “First of all, I’ll thank the Chinese Federation for having us here. We really look forward to this game. It’s a preparation for us for the Asian Cup. We have this game in our calendar year and it’s a good one, so we are looking forward to it. The plan for the game is that we give our best tomorrow and give 100% commitment, desire and passion. That being said, we have to stick to our plan and if we do that, surely the goods will also follow.”

When asked how it feels to being bestowed with leadership responsibilities, the 25-year-old shared, “Firstly, I’ll thank my coach for believing in me and giving me the armband. As a player and as an Indian, it’s a big thing to be playing for your country. Also, to represent your country wearing the armband is something hard to describe in words. So, it’s a great feeling and I take great pride in it. Our team is full of leaders. It’s a group of leaders and that makes my job easy and we all work together. The unity of this squad is second to none.”

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