Bench is the strength: Chetri

Though he is focused on Wednesdays game against Namibia,Sunil Chetri doesnt mind looking at the distant future.

Though he is focused on Wednesdays game against Namibia,Sunil Chetri doesnt mind looking at the distant future. He doesnt just speak about the stars that would play a key role in the game at the Ambedkar Stadium but also stresses on the importance of the squads bench strength.

All the players are training hard. For the 2014 World Cup qualifiers,I believe a young Indian team can do wonders. Our aim is the 2014 or 2018 World Cup, he said. Giving Thailands example,a team that beat India in the last game,he asserted how long-term planning involves youngsters. Though,Chetri went on to say that till the Asian Cup early next year,he doesnt see the juniors replacing the seniors in the Indian side.

Talking about the collective mood of the team after the loss against Thailand,Chetri said such results do hurt but the players have learnt to live with the highs and lows of international sports. Chetri says they cannot underestimate the Namibian team either since they were ranked higher in the FIFA rankings.Africans are known for their physical game. I think it will be interesting to play against them, he says.

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The striker says that the team cannot afford to miss chances upfront. India suffered to Thailand as several through balls were wasted. Chetri said Thailand,on the contrary,were on target while three of their strikes hit the cross bar.

The Thais scored on counter attacks whereas we missed a lot of chances. All this makes a huge difference, he says.

When asked about the Indian teams strategy for the Namibia game,Chetri didnt reveal much. We have to play as a team. For the past four years,our game has improved a lot. Coach Bob (Houghton) has a big role to play, he says.

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