KOLKATA, India: India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had a game of his lifetime against Qatar last month as India held the Asian champions to a goalless draw in 2022 World Cup qualifier in Doha.
But Sandhu cautioned his team-mates not to take their opponents lightly as they face their Group E contestant Bangladesh here on Tuesday, .
Bangladesh have lost their first two games, but the Bengaluru FC keeper felt they will be hard to beat.
“No opponent should be taken lightly. Bangladesh is a strong side. We have to play well. Playing at home will be an advantage, but we need not be overconfident,” said Sandhu, who led India against Qatar.
Qatar match is history
The 27-year-old wants to forget the Qatar match and focus on the next challenge.
“Qatar match is past. Our next target is to win against Bangladesh. We have to play well. That’s what we want to do,” he added. “Our performance against Qatar will boost our confidence. We’re in a positive frame of mind.”
Sandhu also praised the efforts of some of the youngsters who had a great game against the 2022 World Cup hosts.
“Many youngsters played and Nikhil (Poojary) and Mandar (Rao Dessai) played after a long time, that too against Qatar. For them, it meant a lot as they could show their worth against a big team,” he added.
Jhingan will be missed
The hosts, however, will miss injured defender Sandesh Jhingan, but Sandhu urged his team-mates to step up to the occasion.
“There’re others who will take up the responsibility. Sandesh is a very important player. I hope he recovers soon. I think the coach Stimac has his replacement in mind as he had given a lot of chances to juniors,” he said. “I would urge the fans to come and support us.”
