Under the guidance of newly appointed head coach of the Indian national football team, Igor Stimac, the focus has been on making a team for the future but also not compromising on the results. Indian defender Sandesh Jhinghan feels that the team is indeed moving in the right direction ahead of their World Cup qualifier match against Oman on Thursday.

Notably, it was in the month of May that Stimac was appointed as the head coach of the Indian football team. A key feature of India’s play since then has been to keep the possession of the ball and building up from the back.

“Everyone has seen how the coach wants us to play,” centre-back Jhingan was quoted as saying by the official website of All India Football Federation (AIFF).

“It’s not easy to implement a new possession-based style. We have to be brave and I can say that from our games against Curacao (King’s Cup) to Syria (Intercontinental Cup), we have improved a lot. We have the right kind of players and everyone in the team has loved the new approach,” he added.

The team had to participate in a training camp in Goa last month prior to their clash against Oman. Sandesh shed light upon the transition in their playing style as he stated that they have been working on it both on and off the field.

“Training has been about building patterns on the pitch and making them a natural part of our games. As a centre-back, I have to play out from the back and every player is adapting to his new role as well. Off the field, we are studying as well and we keep getting videos and clippings from the staff that help us learn better,” he elaborated.

Sahal Abdul Samad has been one of the key players for coach Stimac and has appeared in each of India’s five international games they have played since Stimac took over as coach of the national team.

“Training has been intense — we are always pushing each other that extra yard. Off the field, we are like brothers. We have developed a great understanding in midfield and know each other’s movements — when to make what run and when to stay back. Knowing that I have the support behind me also gives me the confidence to push forward as well,” said Sahal.

Anirudh Thapa has been another name that has emerged from the Indian dugout. He was lone goal scorer in India’s win away against Thailand in the King’s Cup in June.

“I like what the coach wants from us,” he expressed.

“He wants us to keep the ball and keep possession. I like it and it suits me well. Adapting to it is a challenge but we are gelling well together in midfield. We are working on improving our understanding and game-reading,” he continued.

Another India player Udanta Singh, who has 22 India appearances to his credit, spoke about the team’s preparation and is hopeful of putting their best foot forward on the pitch.

“We all are working hard on the ground and the gym. We are all raring to go and hoping to do our best on the field. With the previous matches we have played, we got to learn our strengths and weaknesses and now we are working on them accordingly,” he said.

India begin their 2022 World Cup second round qualifiers with their clash against Oman. They then travel to Doha to lock horns with Qatar on 10 September. Bangladesh and Afghanistan are couple of other teams in the group (Group E).