November 14, Hyderabad (Telangana): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is in his 13th national team year. After Sunil Chhetri’s retirement, he became India’s most experienced player with 75 caps, captaining the team and saved a penalty against Vietnam last month.

On Wednesday, Sandhu discussed the Blue Tigers’ preparations in Hyderabad for the November 18 friendly against Malaysia via virtual media.

“Everyone understands this is our final FIFA friendly before the crucial Asian Cup Qualifiers in March. We must take advantage of this chance. Sandesh Jhingan’s return is welcome. “I’m glad he’s recovered well and played two games for FC Goa,” Sandhu told the AIFF website.

“We have five more days of training before the Malaysia game, which is good because it allows us time to work together as a team and get used to the new system that is in place with our coach,” he said.

In Sandhu’s maiden match against Malaysia, India lost 2-4 in a close encounter in the Merdeka Tournament in Kuala Lumpur last October. Sandhu said the Indians were unfortunate and the scoreline didn’t warrant their efforts. The Blue Tigers are determined to rectify that and achieve a green mark in Hyderabad this time.

Playing in Malaysia was different. They have a lot of fresh players and great players from outside who support them. We could have gained more from that game. We were unfortunate because we scored an illegal goal. Such things happen in football. We must forget previous time. We have a clean slate and must get the greatest results at home “Sandhu stated.

Sandhu revealed his tough goalkeeping rivalry with the national squad. Top custodians like Amrinder Singh and Vishal Kaith, vital players for their ISL teams, use every national team training session to push each other and for a position in the starting eleven.

Playing for the national team is demanding. This is a privileged position, and I understand its value. I’ll give my all while here. I like having goalkeepers like Amrinder and Vishal on the squad because we can challenge each other. Teamwork is key in the Indian squad. Who plays doesn’t matter. Lucky to have healthy competition. Not just myself, but the outfielders. New players who have done well for their clubs are joining the squad. We all want to play for the national squad. We come from various clubs, yet we work together to achieve a goal. Sandhu stated the national team is professional and healthy.

Sandhu, who has played in three AFC Asian Cups (2011, 2019, and 2023), says our team’s basic aim is to qualify for a third straight.

“Every camp under Manolo brings us closer to his team vision. Because of his coaching and expertise, I’m certain we’ll be good in the Asian Cup qualifiers. Having qualified in the past two rounds, I believe qualifying is the least we should aim for as a team. Our staff should now immediately understand this. We must qualify for every Asian Cup. Keep calm and strive toward that goal “Sandhu advised.