The Indian football team have been in sensational form in recent months as they won the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship in consecutive months. With the Asian Games and the AFC Asian Cup coming up, the Blue Tigers need to be ready to put their best foot forward.
India are pitted against heavyweights like Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in a tough Asian Cup group. However, India international Pritam Kotal isn’t losing hope just yet. The defender has won 52 international caps and believes that the ISL has played a big role in developing the players and also instilled a sense of fearlessness which has happened with Indians rubbing shoulders with top international stars.
Kotal believes that the Indians are gaining great exposure by playing with some of the world-renowned footballers. He also mentions how they are also adapting to different styles which has also helped the national team in recent times.
“See now, the mindset of the players has changed a lot. The quality of the training has changed, and even the players now know what they are supposed to do according to who they are playing against. And for me, whenever we play in the ISL, whichever foreigner is there in front of us, we play without fear. This is a new development that whoever is in front of us, we will compete,” the 29-year-old defender stated during the latest episode of ‘In the Stands’.
The experienced defender gave a lot of credit to the coaches at the helm of different ISL clubs. He feels that they have played an active role in developing the players to be adaptable and have improved their performances for the national team.
“And there is also the influence of coaches. How the coaches give confidence to a player – build up, pass – whatever will happen, we will deal with it. But it’s important to play how we want to. So this is a change since 2015 when we started the Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time. The process started then, and now you will see the way we are playing. This is good for the national team, and good for the individual players as well,” Kotal highlighted.
The three-time ISL winner who won the trophy with Mohun Bagan Super Giant last season has joined Kerala Blasters in search of a new challenge. He has also won three SAFF Championships and two Intercontinental Cups with the Blue Tigers. So he brings in experience and that winning mentality to the Kerala Blasters camp.
Along with the upcoming ISL season, Kotal has one eye fixed on the upcoming AFC Asian Cup. He assures the fans that the Indian team will leave no stone unturned in the upcoming event in Qatar next year.
“As players, we are confident that we will do something different this year. And we will try to do that both individually, and as a team as well as when we start the camps. We will have the King’s Cup, Merdeka Cup, and a few friendlies. So I just want to tell the fans to stick with us. Support the Indian team. Whoever we play, we will not be intimidated. We will go face to face and fight. Be it Australia, Uzbekistan, or Syria. This, I am telling you today,” Kotal concluded.
