New Delhi: India are fielding an under-23 side in the SAFF Cup starting in Dhaka from December 4 but coach Sukhwinder Singh is confident that his young squad can go all the way to bag the top honour.
At the insistence of national coach Bob Houghton, the
20-member Indian squad for the SAFF Cup has just one senior
international in Sushil Kumar Singh, who rarely gets into in
starting line-up, but Sukhwinder is satisfied.
"The 2011 AFC Asian Cup is the main aim and doing well
there will have a great impact for the game in the country. So
we are fielding an under-23 side but don't think that we
cannot do well in Bangladesh. We would be as good as any other
team," Sukhwinder told agency from Goa before leaving for Dhaka.
"True, the players I am taking have little international
exposure but they have been playing in I-League along with the
senior internationals. SAFF Cup has always been a tough
tournament but we have a very good squad," he said.
Sukhwinder, who was the coach when India won the regional
tournament at home in 1999, said it was good idea of Houghton
to field a development side in SAFF Cup, considering that the
same will happen in the AFC Challenge Cup in February next
year in Sri Lanka and then the 2010 Asian Games in China.
"In a way it is good that we are fielding an under-23
side in SAFF Cup because we need a development side. We are
also fielding under-23 sides in the AFC Challenge Cup and the
Asian Games," he said.
"We had a very good preparation in Goa. These boys have
not got much chance to play international matches. They are
raring to go. Besides bringing laurels for the country they
have the chance to graduate to the senior side," he said.
India lost to Maldives in the 2008 SAFF Cup final in Sri
Lanka and coach Houghton got the flak from various quarters.
Sukhwinder knows it said it will be a tough tournament but
refused to name who would the toughest opponents.
"In modern football there are no favourites or underdogs.
Any side of comparable standard can beat any other on a given
day. I have a very good squad who can give the results," he
said.
Asked whether he would have liked to have some India
reserve players like Subhash Singh, Govin Singh or N Mohan
Raj, the former JCT coach said, "It would have been good had
they been there. Having said that I am satisfied with my
squad. Bob wants these players to be in the senior national
camp."
Sukhwinder had been India senior coach twice earlier and
he said he was looking forward to the new assignment.
"I am no stranger to Indian football. It's an honour to
coach a national team. It's a challenge and I am looking
forward to doing well in the tournament," said the coach who
has been appointed till the 2010 Asian Games.
India play Afghanistan on December 5 in their opening
Group A match, before taking on Nepal (December 7) and
Maldives (December 9).
PTI