If you are a follower of Indian football, the one name that you would have been elated to see in the list of 26 players announced by Manolo Marquez for the friendly against Malaysia is that of Sandesh Jhingan. Needless to say, India missed Jhingan in the World Cup qualifiers against Afghanistan and Kuwait, and his presence could have made a decisive difference. Out with an injury suffered at the AFC Asian Cup in January, Jhingan is now back at his best for his club, FC Goa, and is also all set to don the Blue Tigers jersey once more.
A rather grateful Jhingan spoke to Boria Majumdar about the national team comeback and how difficult the journey has been in the past few months.
Excerpts:
Boria: Many congratulations on making it back to where you belong. How does it feel to get back, and how difficult has it been?
Jhingan: It has indeed been difficult. And it feels extremely good to be back. I am very grateful to everyone who stood by me and, honestly, it is largely due to their efforts that I am back to where I need to be. First, it is my wife and my little daughter. She will never know that it was because of her that I pushed myself to walk. When she started taking her first toddler steps, I felt I needed to walk with her and enjoy the moment. At the time, I was in searing pain but seeing my daughter walk, I could do what I did. There is no greater joy than seeing your little one grow and my wife, who has been a constant source of inspiration, and my daughter have helped me tide over this period of uncertainty. I have to say all my colleagues, formerly Igor [Stimac] and the team, and now FC Goa and Manolo [Marquez] have been hugely supportive. There was never any pressure from FC Goa and they allowed me my space. I will be ever grateful to the club and my coach.
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Boria: You mentioned Manolo. He is now the coach of the national team as well. You have seen and been with him at FC Goa. That should help.
Jhingan: He is brilliant. Just brilliant. And I am not trying to please anyone, I have to qualify that. He doesn’t need that. When I came back after AFC, he was supremely supportive of me. I was wiling to defer my surgery and play with pain for a few more weeks if needed. But he was clear and always had my good in mind. Even when I was of no use to him, he stood by me and had my back. And as coach, he is excellent. I am confident we will have a very good stint with him. His understanding of the game, grooming of players, tactical acumen is second to none, and the number of players he has been able to develop in the last few years is testimony.
Boria: At a time when you are making it back to the national team, things are not looking the best for Indian football. There is a lot of gloom around. We all felt we’d be able to qualify for the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. It did not happen. How hopeful are you of the national team?
Jhingan: Very hopeful. Yes, there is gloom around but it also an opportunity to change things for the better. We have a job to do, and under Manolo, we will do that job. We have to come together and collectively give our best. The second half against Vietnam is evidence we can play good football, and now it is imperative we do so consistently and get Indian football back on track.
These are difficult times, but it is only when you put in the hard yards that you get success. Ten years down the line, we will all look back at these years and to the work we put in and think this is how we were able to turn things around. I want to play a little part in the process, and that’s why we are all here. It is national duty and there’s nothing bigger than that.
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