Success in Asian Cup will boost our soccer: Mondal

Mumbai: Senior defender Arnab Kumar Mondal is confident that the Indian football team can carry on from their last win against Puerto Rico here and do well in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

“We did two days training already. Players are fit and hungry. The official staff is doing good work and players are fresh and putting in hard work. When you play for India everyone feels proud and gives everything. We are looking forward to the tournament,” he said here on Wednesday.

Mondal said if the team did well in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, it would be a major boost to football in the country. “The more we perform well, the better it is for the coming generation. If we play these matches (AFC Asian Cup qualifiers) well, it is better for Indian football.

“This is why we practise and put in hard work. I have belief in the team that we will be able to qualify via the qualifiers,” he said.

Mondal, however, warned against complacency despite India being drawn in Group A with Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Macau.

“You can’t say anything sitting here. We are preparing and the other teams are also preparing. I hear that Myanmar have had a German coach for long,” the 27-year-old centre back said.

He agreed that a friendly on March 22 against Cambodia would help ahead of their opening game against Myanmar on March 28. “The Cambodia friendly will definitely help. It becomes easy for the coach to look at players and make combinations. It helps players also to get adjusted,” he said.

Mondal said though the team was in transition, there were some senior players who had been in the squad for a while and formed the crux of the team.

“Players like me, Sunil Chhetri, Jeje (Lalpekhlua) and Subrata Paul have been there for long and now Robin is also back. Four youngsters have been called now and it depends on the coach how to set the team. Robin is good upfront, has a big body and is fit again. His comeback gives the coach more options which a good thing,” he said.

The East Bengal player who captained India during the World Cup qualifiers in 2015 said he wasn’t thinking about it again.

“It was rotation policy then (for captains). We had four captains. Captain is just a guide and we play as team and fight together,” he said.