Intercontinental Cup 2018: 'Playing alongside Anas Edathodika is like when I play with my brother,' says Sandesh Jhingan

Sandesh Jhingan, the talismanic defensive pillar of the Indian National Football team, showered praises on his fellow defensive partner Anas Edathodika, ahead of the Hero Intercontinental Cup here at the Mumbai Football Arena; as the Kerala Blasters skipper described how it is to play with one of the most hardworking members of the team.

“Of course I enjoy playing with him (Anas). I still remember when I was 12 or 13-years-old I used to play with my elder brothers. It’s always a very special feeling to play with your own brothers because of the special bond that we share. So, when I play with Anas I still get that same feeling, the same goosebumps. He is very much like a brother to me,” Jhingan said to the media.

Just a day earlier, Anas had spoken very highly about the Kerala Blasters’ iconic figure who is said to have found a very special place in the heart of the 31-year-old KBFC-bound, ex- Jamshedpur FC centre-back as Anas stated that he admires Jhingan profoundly and has always had the desire to play alongside him.

Similar feelings were voiced by Jhingan, who said, “It’s very special to play alongside him. He is like a brother and I always try to learn from him. Hopefully, we will continue to play a lot more of matches together for the national team and he’s joining Kerala Blasters; so I would want to win trophies with him as well. He is a top guy; a very humble person, a down to earth lad and I count myself lucky to be friends with him.”

When quizzed about his ISL plans, Sandesh spoke very passionately about the Manjappada fan group and said he would want to win a title for them.

“My primary aim is to win the league. We haven’t been able to win it in the last 4 years. We have the best fans in India, or probably the best fans of the world," continued Jhingan.

"They deserve it more than us. So the plan will be to play a good brand of football and win the league for them. Fortunately this season we have a great squad with few good additions like Anas, and hopefully, we can win it this time,” he said

Besides being one of the best-supported clubs in ISL, Kerala Blasters are also one of the few clubs to have made it to two out of four finals. However, they are still without a trophy, and that is certainly something that they would like to improve upon. Perhaps the centreback pairing of Jhingan and Anas would help them achieve that.