Confident India ready for another acid test in Iran

An upbeat India will seek to continue their winning momentum as they lock horns with another formidable opponent in host Iran at the AFC U-16 Qualifiers here tomorrow.
India will enter the match high on confidence following the 5-0 thrashing of Bahrain in their opening game yesterday.
Coach Nicolai Adam, also in charge of India's U-17 World Cup team, felt it is "important for the boys to know where they stand".
Aman struck twice while Gaston, Boris and Suresh scored one apiece at the Tabriz Yadegar-E-Emam Stadium to kick start India's campaign in the tournament on a bright note.
Nicolai's boys, who could be part of the mega event in 2017, dominated throughout the match so much so that it turned out to be a totally one-sided encounter. They are hoping to produce a similar show against fancied Iran.

"The manner in which they performed was encouraging indeed. But I have told the boys to stay focused. 5-0 was a good result but we have played against stronger teams in Germany during our exposure tour. But Iran will be really strong," Nicolai said.

He termed Iran their real test.
"Iran will be a real test for us and we are all looking forward to it. It's important for the boys to know where they stand and how good they are. They need to get a realistic view of themselves and their ability to perform as they stay on track to turn into professional players."

Talking about the Iran team further, he said, "They have a lot of experience in terms of preparation as their Head Coach mentioned. They have been training for the last 10 months in different environments and that will reap the benefits for sure."
Saying that the scouting process for building the U-17 World Cup team was not over, Nicolai urged the state associations to do their home work better.
"I reiterate the scouting process is not finished as yet. The team hasn't been fully built as yet. We are looking for better players and the process will continue.
"I urge the state associations to do their homework better when we come for the second round of scouting. They need to pre-select the best from the age-group for us to pick as per our needs.

"Otherwise it's just a waste of time, money and energy. And to pre-select players, they need to go into the remote areas like I did, and look for them. If you want to find a diamond, you need to dig into the dirt. We need rowers and not drummers.