Sandesh Jhingan: Vowed to sing national anthem after playing for India

The defender recollected his earlier aspirations to represent the country and spoke in detail about various other topics.

Friday afternoon saw Indian international Sandesh Jhingan undertaking live session on Radio City. During the show, the defender talked about his earlier ambitions to represent the country in the sport and reminisced the FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Qatar when the Blue Tigers pulled off a brilliant draw away from home.

Sandesh Jhingan has made his intentions of wanting to play for the Indian team right from the start of his career very clear in the past. He had stressed on the same in an Instagram live interview session with Anant Tyagi in April and reiterated it once again on Radio City. “I never craved to play for Manchester United, Real Madrid or any other big club. I had always dreamt of representing my country,” the defender remarked.

One of the major desires of players whilst representing India on international stages are the prospect of singing the national anthem with the fans from the stands echoing it together. Needless to say, it was a similar case with Jhingan as well.  

“In 2010, I took an oath that I shall sing the national anthem of India and only if I get selected for the Indian National Team, otherwise won't sing the national anthem ever in my life,” he recollected. The 26-year-old was first selected in Win Kovermans’ squad in 2013, however, his first start came against two year later against Nepal in March 2015. Since then, Jhingan has progressed immensely to become a mainstay for the national team.

One of the highlights of the Indian football team in the recent past came in 2019 when the Blue Tigers held Asian champions Qatar at their home. Speaking about the encounter, Sandesh Jhingan claimed that he feels extremely lucky to be a part of the current batch and that these set of players would be remembered and looked back at even for the next century or more. “The positive vibe, the hunger in the eyes was extraordinary before the match. We had the urge to show who we really are,” he quipped.

The Indian team had come into the game against Qatar at the back of a demoralizing 2-1 defeat against Oman in Guwahati. Jhingan felt that they let themselves down in the second half against Oman and took complete responsibility for it.

While all the efforts of the players did not go unnoticed, Sandesh Jhingan claimed Igor Stimac also played a pivotal role to raise the spirits of the players ahead of the clash against Qatar. He recalled, “After reaching Qatar, coach took us out for a dinner. After that, he called everyone and said how proud he is for us. He took specific names and asked us to learn from mistakes and to not fear at all before taking on Qatar.”

Sandesh Jhingan has been associated with Kerala Blasters ever since the inception of the Indian Super League. However, a knee injury suffered during a friendly against NorthEast United in October last year forced him to undergo surgery and stay out of the game for a considerable period of time. Now, he is working back to return to footballing activities and could be seen back in the groove when the next campaign commences.  

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