India take on Mauritius in the first match of the Hero Tri-nation Series at the Mumbai Football Arena on Saturday. Ranked 97th by FIFA, the hosts will look to use this tournament as a launchpad for their preparations leading up to the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.At a pre-match press conference on Friday, India head coach Stephen Constantine and centre-back Sandesh Jhingan addressed the media. Here are some excerpts…Constantine, while admitting he wanted a different set-up for the tournament, was happy to have got the opportunity to play Mauritius and Saint Kitts & Nevis.“The opportunity to play two games gives me more time to try new players. Initially, we wanted one team from Africa, one team from Macau, and hopefully one team from Asia to make it a four-team tournament. The timing of the games is difficult as at this time most players are in pre-season [mode] with their clubs. So, it was tough to get the teams. I am just happy that we got two opponents that will give us different problems and an opportunity for us to be acquainted,” he says.Constantine was also quick to point out that neither of the two teams were any sort of pushovers.“I know Mauritius. I’ve been there a couple of times. They recently lost to Ghana 2-0 and you do not lose to Ghana 2-0 unless you’re doing something right. Trust me!” “Coming to Saint Kitts & Nevis of the Caribbean, they are not Jamaica; but they play a similar style and [with] a similar sort of philosophy. If we want to compete at the top level, we need to play against countries from different continents instead of just playing Asian teams," he explained.The coach was also clear about the short-term and long-term vision for the national team.“The vision would now be to qualify for the Asian Cup. The vision then would be to go to the Asian Cup and try and compete with these big guns in Asia. It’s a development process; we need to qualify for the Asian Cup on a regular basis before we can qualify for the World Cup,” he went on to say.Sandesh Jhingan, who stars for Kerala Blasters in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), will be wearing the captain’s armband for the first match of the series. When asked about the talent in the squad, he seemed pleased with the way the youth are being inducted.“I came into the national team as a young boy and Coach brought me into the team; and from that squad you can see the progress made in the last few games. And a few boys are coming from the Under-23s. So, it’s a good step as we have a good structure from the base”, he remarked.Constantine also explained that while he lays a lot of stress on youth products, he ensures it’s extremely competitive too.“I’m an advocate for developing youth players and giving them opportunities. I have given more than a hundred international debuts across my career. That will not stop as long as I see talent and development. The purpose of keeping young players is not for the sake of it, and the moment I see they have nothing to offer, they are gone.” Jhingan was also quick to praise fellow centre-back Anas Edathodika. “Both of us have a good partnership. On and off the field, we have a good relationship. We respect each other and I enjoy playing with him and it’s not only me and him. Pritam [Kotal] as well, and Gurpreet [Singh Sandhu] too”, he added.The good news for India is that they have no new injury concerns. However, forward Sumeet Passi is apparently still in his rehabilitation process.“We have Sumeet Passi, who was obviously never going to play,” reveals Constantine when quizzed about the same. “My policy is to try and help these players that have had injuries - that were part of the national team - and thus help him in the rehabilitation process, but he was never likely to play anyway,” he said.Jhingan also backed the longer format of the upcoming ISL season, saying that it would help the players.“I think everyone would agree the longer format is better. Previously, we would play three games a week which was never good and for me personally, I picked up an injury and did not recover quickly. So, the longer format is better, and also more players will come into the national team and there will be more time to focus on the player’s fitness,” he explained.None of the Bengaluru FC players will feature in the tournament due to their club commitments. When asked about the same, Constantine said, “They have AFC Cup commitments. This gives me the opportunity to wish Gurpreet all the best in his new job, and of course we wish Bengaluru all the best in a very difficult game.”Watch India vs Mauritius LIVE on the Star Sports network and Jio TV.
