Sandesh Jhingan appointed as India captain for China friendly

Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan has been appointed as the captain of the national football team for their upcoming international friendly match against China at the Suzhou Olympic on Saturday.

Reflecting on the appointment, Indian head coach Stephen Constantine said that the footballer has got the right attitude for the post and further hoped that he would take the team forward.

"I think the captain has to reflect the attitude of the coach. Sandesh first played for me four years ago. He is a fighter and a leader. He gives everything on the pitch which most of the players do," Constantine said.

"I think he is going to be one of the leaders for India going forward. Keeping the magnitude of the game in mind, I believe he deserves to lead the team," he added.

The newly-appointed skipper thanked the coach for believing in him and handing the captain's armband to him.

"Thank you Coach, for entrusting me with the responsibility. As an Indian boy, it was always my dream to represent the country. It's a great feeling that I can't actually express in words," Jhingan stated.

"In Chhetri-bhai, Gurpeet, Jeje- we have a group of leaders which makes my job easy. We all work together to achieve the goal. The plan for tomorrow is that to stick to the plan and give our best on the pitch. If we are able to do that the result will follow. We're really looking forward to play in this beautiful stadium," he added.

This is the first meeting among the two teams since they last played in the Nehru Cup in Kochi in 1997.

India are yet to win a single match against China in the 17 encounters played between the two countries, so far.