We should have won the game against Bangladesh, says Sandesh Jhingan

Kolkata: It's no secret that the March FIFA window left a sour taste in the mouths of the Indian men's national team players and head coach Manolo Marquez. While the wait for a first win in 16 months came to an end against Maldives, defender Sandesh Jhingan admitted that the goalless draw with Bangladesh was a substandard start to the Asian Cup Qualifiers. Now, all focus turns to the crucial away tie against Hong Kong on June 10.

It was the first time since June 2023 that India kept two clean sheets in a row. That's one side of the picture. For Jhingan, the bigger picture is that clean sheets are not enough, and only victory can satisfy the Blue Tigers.

"Each game we go into, we want to win. The same goes for the opponents we face. It always feels good to keep a clean sheet, but we've come a long way from that. We cherish the clean sheet, but we know we should've won that game," Jhingan said.

The 31-year-old emphasised that keeping clean sheets and scoring goals isn't just the job of defenders and strikers, respectively, but a collective effort from the team.

"If we keep a clean sheet and give all the laurels to the centre-backs, full-backs, the number six or the goalkeeper, it's unfair. If my strikers don't press well, if my number 10 isn't taking their number six, maybe one game you can keep a clean sheet, the other one you won't.

"In the same way, if my boys up front are not scoring and I just go in the dressing room and start bashing them for that, it would be the most stupid thing I could do. Because the reason they're not scoring is that we, at the back, are not playing good enough balls to the midfield. The midfield is not putting good balls in the box. So, to point out a single aspect is very unfair and, at least in our team, we don't think that way," explained Jhingan.

It was less than two years ago that India completed a treble of titles, winning the SAFF Championship, the Intercontinental Cup and the Tri-Nation Series but 2024 went without a win for the Indian team. IANS

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