Almost cried when I played my first match after my injury: Robin Singh
Mumbai: Indian national team striker Robin Singh, who last appeared in national colours in a World Cup qualifier against Guam in November 2015, has had a long arduous road to make a comeback to head coach Stephen Constantine’s squad.
India, who have been placed in a relatively easier group (A) in the 2019 Asian World Cup qualifiers, are currently practicing at the Andheri Sports Complex stadium in Mumbai.
Robin believes that his comeback to the national team is not complete until he gets a chance from Stephen Constantine to play in the upcoming matches against Cambodia (friendly) and Mayanmar (Asian Cup qualifiers).
“It’s a proud moment for me to be back in Indian colours. Am I still back? No,” said Robin. “I am yet to wear that jersey again. So hopefully the coach gives me the nod, and I will be back in Indian colours.
“Yesterday was my first session with the Indian team in almost a year. It was a happy moment to be back in the colours,” he said.
The 26-year-old, who has been suffering from a long term knee injury, revealed that he was almost on the verge of tears, when he played his first game (for FC Goa) after coming back.
“The first time I played (after recovering from the injury), I almost cried. As a player you never want to rest,” said Robin. “You always want to play as many games as you can. So when I wore the jersey after the injury, it was a heavy-hearted moment.”
India have been clubbed against Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, and Macau in Group A of the third round qualifiers for the AFC Asian Cup 2019. The Blue Tigers are second only to Kyrgyzstan in the FIFA rankings, and are expected to qualify.
However, Robin Singh does not believe that qualification can be taken for granted. He said, “When you play for your country, the expectations obviously go high. Whether the group is easy, I don’t think so. Everyone’s in there to qualify, and so are we.
“We want to get in there, thinking that we will do all the hard work, because hard work gives you the results. We spend time off the field, and I think I speak for the boys now, we all want to work hard, and we all want to make sure that we progress to the next stage of the tournament,” he concluded.
