Nikhil Poojari and Hitesh Sharma Upbeat Ahead Of SAFF Championships In Bangladesh

Defending champions India are preparing for the upcoming SAFF championships in Bangladesh from September 4-15. The camp is being held at the Ambedkar stadium in New Delhi. Initially, Stephen Constantine named 34 players for the camp which included four youngsters from the Indian Arrows. Yesterday Taufiq Kabir, Chinglensana Singh, Deependra Singh Negi, Arjun Jayaraj and Kivi Zhimomi were released from the National Team Camp along with Daniel Lalhlimpuia who is out for more than 2-week owing to an injury.

Nikhil Poojari, who was out injured for the last eight months is also part of the camp. He said, "The last season was pretty difficult for me due to the injury. Despite that, I was selected for the camp which was a real boost for me as it shows the confidence of the coach on me. I will be training with the team now and try to regain fitness quickly. The injury was tough to deal with as it was a big layoff but this phase has made me stronger and I cannot wait to be back on the pitch. I have been training here for a week and I feel a lot better."

Poojari, who recently completed a move to ISL club Pune City FC, continued, "Obviously there is competition for places but that can only help us get better. The coach has selected us and now it is our duty to do well. Perhaps, with a good showing, some of us might be in contention for a place in the AFC Asia Cup in 2019. Our coach demands a lot from us on the field; he expects full intensity from us and wants his players to give their all on the pitch. The medical team is regularly working with us to get us in optimum shape before the tournament."

Former TFA graduate Hitesh Sharma who is also a part of the camp was excited with this opportunity and seems determined to make an impact. He said, "It is a great scope for me to make a mark here. I will try to capitalize and take whatever chances I get in the SAFF Championship. I have trained under three different coaches at ATK and now I am working with Stephen Constantine. The coach will decide whether to play u-23 players but we have to utilize the opportunity and make full use of it."

The former Mumbai FC striker said, "All coaches have their own philosophies and methods. It is up to the players to adapt to different regimes. Under Teddy Sheringham, I was asked to keep hold of the ball more but other coaches do not share the same thoughts. Right now I am just trying to learn as much as possible in this growth phase and it will be important for me to be versatile so that I can have a long career ahead of me."

India will begin their SAFF Championship campaign on 5th September against Sri Lanka.