AFC Asian Cup 2024: 'Margin For Error Low At This Stage,' Says Sandesh Jhingan While Recalling 2019 Debacle

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The Indian football team has entered the 11th hour of preparations for the AFC Asian Cup 2024 in Qatar with less than 10 days to go for their opening Group B game against Australia. The team's senior player and dependable defender Sandesh Jhingan is pumped up about playing in Qatar, adding that they can't afford to make many mistakes.

The Chandirgarh-born defender, who was a key part of India's 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign as well when India surprised the continent with a 4-1 win over Thailand, felt that they were at fault for not taking their chances when they mattered and subsequently lost the remaining two games against UAE and Bahrain.

A draw would have been enough from any of the two games to take them to knockouts, which looked achievable after the big win over Thailand. However, a conceding a late penalty in the closing minutes by Pronay Halder meant the dream came crashing. However, Sandesh Jhingan felt it was the second group game against a dominant UAE, where they should have done better.

"Everyone talks about the Bahrain game, but I think we should have done better against the UAE (India lost 2-0). We should have taken our chances against them. This is a stage where the margin for error is very low, and even the smallest of mistakes can really hurt you," Sandesh Jhingan told aiff.com.

Centre-back Sandesh Jhingan is a regular feature in Igor Stimac's starting 11 as well and it's no mean fit as the Croatian head coach has a horses-for-courses approach, leading to a frequent shuffle of the line-up. The 30-year-old defender said that after years of struggle, India have reached a place where it is normal for them to compete in the AFC Asian Cup.

"When we had all just come into the national team (in 2015) at that time, Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu), Amrinder (Singh), myself, and we all had a dream to see India in the World Cup one day. That may still be a distant dream, but being a regular in the Asian Cup is certainly one step closer to it. I feel we are now at a stage where qualification to the Asian Cup should be normal and that we should not celebrate it," said Sandesh Jhingan.

"We should instead be looking forward to making it to the next stage, which is to qualify from the group stage onwards. For sure, it feels good to play in consecutive Asian Cups, but right now, it's time to work more with more intensity and passion."