'Long-term goal is to qualify for Asian Cup': Indian football team midfielder Suresh Singh Wangjam
India, currently ranked 127th in the FIFA rankings, will face Thailand in an international friendly on June 4 at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani. The fixture is seen as a crucial test ahead of India's Group C clash against Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers Final Round, scheduled for June 10.
Speaking about the team's objectives, midfielder Suresh Singh Wangjam emphasized the importance of staying focused and taking one game at a time.
'See, the long-term goal, if you ask every player or even the staff, is to qualify for the Asian Cup, but we have to take it game by game. Now, we will be focusing only on Hong Kong,' he said.
'The good thing is that we will be playing one friendly game against Thailand, which in my opinion is a similar opponent. So, it will be a very good test for us before the match against Hong Kong,' he added.
Wangjam also had a message for the supporters, 'The fans are always behind us. Just be with us.'
On May 28, the team will fly to Thailand, where they will conduct additional training sessions before facing the hosts. Following the friendly, the squad will head directly to Hong Kong to acclimatize and train ahead of the must-win qualifier.
India's Group C campaign began with a frustrating goalless draw against Bangladesh in March, a result that left head coach Manolo Marquez visibly disappointed. Similarly, Hong Kong and Singapore also played out a 0-0 draw, leaving all four teams tied on one point after the first round of fixtures.
While Thailand, ranked 99th in the world, holds a historical edge over India with 12 wins from 26 encounters, the Blue Tigers have had the upper hand in recent meetings. In 2019, India recorded a memorable 4-1 victory over Thailand at the AFC Asian Cup, followed by a 1-0 win in Buriram to claim the bronze medal at the King's Cup. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
3 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Prithvi Shaw gets no support from past and present Indian cricketers: 'I don't want sympathy, no one is perfect'
Prithvi Shaw marked his move to Maharashtra in the domestic circuit with emphasis, scoring a century on debut for his new state team in a one-man-show during their Buchi Babu Trophy match against Chhattisgarh. In response to their opponents putting up 242, Maharashtra could only score 217 — 111 of those runs coming from Shaw's bat, making this an early score of significance. Prithvi Shaw raises his bat enroute to his century at the Guru Nanak College Ground in Chennai during the Buchi Babu Trophy.(Hindu) Shaw's struggles with discipline and fitness in recent years have been a common talking point as one of India's most promising talents faded from the spotlight, but such an innings is an indication that the 25-year-old can still go on to forge a career to be proud of. 'I don't mind coming from scratch again because I've seen many ups and downs in my life … I'm kind of a very confident guy, confident in myself, my work ethics. I feel, I hope that this season will go really well for me as well as for my team,' said Shaw after close of day's play. Shaw was his typical attacking self as he reached his half-century at over a run-a-ball: while the opening partnership was worth 71, his partner only scored 10. After that, the wickets started tumbling at the other end, including a returning Ruturaj Gaikwad, who could only score 1. Nevertheless, Shaw stayed positive and batted through, ensuring the deficit was under control. 'Social media, it's quite bad…' Speaking about what had changed for him to bring about such a performance, Shaw maintained it was just a matter of fine-tuning and fixing the small mistakes, rather than trying for a sensational change. 'I don't want to change anything. I just went back to basics, doing things that I used to do in Under-19 days, which got me to the Indian team, just doing all the stuff back again, you know,' explained the 25-year-old, who last played for India in 2021. 'Practicing more, gym, running. It's small things, obviously, it's not that big because I've been doing these things since the age of 12 and 13.' He also went on to explain that sharpening things up on the discipline front included keeping track of what sort of information he took in, which meant staying away from social media and not allowing himself to focus on the negativity that it brings. 'Just trying to be myself and not really trying to be on social media or anything and those kinds of distractions. Nowadays social media, it's quite bad. It's kind of peaceful when I'm not using it,' explained Shaw, who has found himself on the wrong end of critical attacks in the past. 'I was not really well mentally…' However, most telling from Shaw's perspective was his response to whether he had heard from any former players or teammates regarding his century and a good start to this new phase. The answer was a resounding no, but Shaw maintained this wasn't something he was striving for at this stage of his career. 'I mean, it's fine. I mean, I don't want anyone's sympathy. It's okay. I've seen this before as well. I've got my family's support. And my friends who were there with me when I was not really well mentally as well. So, it's okay,' concluded the batter, who will be hoping this is just step one of the rest of his career.
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Axar Patel deserves an explanation for removal from vice-captaincy': Ex-India star slams decision
Axar Patel (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer and commentator Mohammad Kaif has raised concerns over Axar Patel losing the vice-captaincy of the Indian T20I side, with Shubman Gill taking over the role. Patel, who was named deputy to Suryakumar Yadav for the five-match series against England earlier this year, was replaced following Gill's return to T20Is after a year-long absence. Taking to social media, Kaif questioned the manner in which the change was handled. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "I hope Axar Patel was informed about his removal from vice-captaincy in advance and he didn't come to know about it from the press conference. Axar did no wrong so he deserves an explanation," Kaif posted. Patel has cemented his place as a dependable all-rounder across formats, making key contributions in India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. He was named Player of the Match in the semi-final against England for his spell of 3/23. In the final against South Africa, Patel played another pivotal role, scoring 47 off 31 balls when India were reeling at 34/3, and later dismissing Tristan Stubbs to tilt the game in India's favor. Overall, Patel's T20I record highlights his consistency — 531 runs at a strike rate of 139.32, along with 71 wickets at an average of 22.12 from 71 matches. India Asia Cup squad press conference: What Ajit Agarkar, Surya said on shocking calls For the upcoming Asia Cup , India's selectors have included two other spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, in the squad. Among the notable exclusions are Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal. India will open their Asia Cup campaign against hosts UAE on September 10. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Bangladesh, Kazakhstan to be part of Asia Cup in place of Pakistan & Oman
With just 10 days to go for the first match, Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) finally announced the schedule for the men's Asia Cup hockey tournament. Pakistan, however, will not be part of it, having been replaced by Bangladesh in the eight-team tournament that will be held from Aug 29 to Sept 7 at Rajgir Sports Complex in Bihar. Oman also pulled out of the tournament at the last moment, with Kazakhstan taking their place. The remaining five teams taking part in the event besides hosts India are Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia and South Korea. While India have been clubbed with Japan, China and Kazakhstan in Pool A, Pool B consists of Malaysia, Korea, Bangladesh and Chinese Taipei. After the pool stage, where the teams will play each other once, the top two teams from each pool will play in the Super4s. Once again it will be played in a round-robin format with the top two teams making it to the final. The winner will be awarded a spot in the FIH World Cup to be held next year in the Netherlands and Belgium. As far as the fixtures are concerned, Malaysia will play the tournament opener against Bangladesh, while India will hope to make a winning start when they take on China. Being the No. 1 side in Asia, Craig Fulton's men will undoubtedly come into the tournament as strong favourites. But hockey fans will certainly feel the absence of Pakistan. Their participation was always doubtful following the Pahalgam incident. However, the Indian govt had said it would provide visas to the players and even Hockey India was confident of their participation. But Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) refused to travel citing security concerns. AHF president Fumio Ogura, meanwhile, said in a statement, "The Asia Cup will bring together the very best of Asian hockey. With World Cup qualification on the line, every match will carry enormous importance. We are confident this edition will showcase thrilling competition, inspire millions of fans, and leave a lasting legacy for the sport in Asia." Korea continue to be the most successful side in the tournament, having won the title five times in the past. As for India, they finished third in the last edition in Jakarta but it does seem they will finish on top this time around. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
