India will look to cement their spot in the third round of qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the UAE on Tuesday when they host Laos for the second leg of their play-off tie in Guwahati. Jeje Lalpekhlua’s second-half header that handed India a 1-0 win in Laos during the first leg sees the Blue Tigers sit in pole position to qualify for the next round of the qualification phase that will see 24 teams vying for the 12 remaining spots.Kerala Blasters FC’s Sandesh Jhingan, who was named the Hero ISL Emerging Player of the Year in 2014 and has since gone on to establish himself in India’s backline, spoke to indiansuperleague.com ahead of the all-important second leg encounter.“When it comes to football, you can’t take any team lightly. You have to respect every team. When we went to Laos, we were expecting a tough game and I think we really worked hard in our training before the match. From there, we showed our dominance and it was a really good performance from all the boys. I think we dominated the game and if we keep playing like this, we will dominate them on Tuesday as well. It all depends on how good we play. We were really good in the previous game and hence we dominated it well,” Jhingan said ahead of the game.The 22-year-old defender also commended the team spirit in the Indian camp under the tutelage of head coach Stephen Constantine. “Of course, as a player, you would want ample time to play as a team. Unfortunately, due to club commitments, you don’t get much time to play with the team. The good thing is that the players get along well as we have known each other for a long time. That’s why keeping the same squad and keeping the players from the same batch is a huge boost to the team,” Jhingan said.When quizzed on his thoughts about Lalpekhlua and the 25-year-old’s scintillating form this season, Jhingan was quick to label the Chennaiyin FC frontman as the ‘Indian Aguero’. “I call him the Indian Aguero! I think he’s probably realized that he’s really good. He’s told himself the same before as well. I think 3-4 years ago, his form dropped. But now, he’s back to his best and he’s super fit. It’s not only the goals, but the work he does for the team and his general work ethic is really good. As a striker, you know that given a chance, he will score. I hope he continues his form and scores more goals for his club and the national team.”Jhingan also spoke about the understanding he has developed with his centre-half partner Arnab Mondal. “Yes I enjoy playing with Arnab. It’s been almost one year now playing with him. We have formed a solid partnership as we have experience. The team calls him a fighter. I am looking forward to building this partnership with him and work positively to help the national team.”Jhingan then went on to laud the influence that coach Constantine has had on the national side and his role as a motivator. “I think he [Constantine] tries to help every guy in every position. For me, he just keeps reminding me to get the basic stuff right. That’s what it’s all about. If you do the simple things correctly, you don’t have to worry about anything else. What he tells us, primarily, are motivational words. He really motivates us well. The thing is to love the game and he makes sure that we have motivation in our heart. He talks to us about everything – motivation, tactics and technical terms. It’s good to have a coach like him.”Delighted with the opportunity of playing in Guwahati, Jhingan expects passionate support from fans. “I think the whole north-east area is really passionate about football and loves football. It’s really good to play in grounds like this, when people are coming in and supporting you. Technically, the turf is very good here. It’s good to have training camps in Guwahati. When the call came that we were playing in Guwahati, I was very happy. We just hope to give them a good show on Tuesday,” he concluded.
