India are ranked 156th in the world. (Source: PTI File) India are ranked 156th in the world. (Source: PTI File)

By the hour mark had turned red. Partly because of the embarrassment caused by his players’ callous performances. Partly due to anger. Constantine paced the touchline flailing his arms in disbelief. He would walk two steps, kick the water bottles in front of him in disgust (and place them back again) and would often turn to the bench, with a ‘are you kidding me’ expression plastered on his face.

On the field, former captain Sunil Chhetri barked out instructions at his teammates, yelling at them for not being able to read the moves. All this in a match against Nepal, ranked 184th in the world, 28 places below India. The friendly at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on Monday evening ended in a goalless draw. But as is the case often in such friendlies, the scoreline hardly mattered.

In a week’s time a team ranked 115 places above them — and top-ranked in Asia at 41st place — will be travelling to Bangalore for a 2018 World Cup/2019 Asian Cup joint qualifier. And if this is the level of India’s preparation for the Iran tie, then Constantine ought to be worried. Very worried.

There were a few redeeming factors. But they were as scarce as India’s wins in recent times. Sandesh Jhingan’s return to the side seems to have bolstered the defence. After missing the first two qualifiers owing to a shoulder injury, Jhingan made a smooth return, making few mistakes. His towering presence at the back will be crucial against a physically superior Iran side. Makeshift centre-back Dhanpal Ganesh, otherwise a defensive midfielder, too was impressive in his role.

The role of centre-backs Dhanachandra Singh and Arnab Mondal had come under scrutiny in the last two matches. In Jhingan and Ganesh, India may have found a new combination. Jhingan was assertive and flawless in dealing with aerial balls and Ganesh too made few errors. Together with the full-backs, they held a good line and gave little space to the Nepal strikers. How well it works against a technically proficient Iran side remains to be seen.

Constantine also chose to start with three recognised strikers — Chhetri, Robin Singh and Jeje Lalpekhlua. It worked well and the strikers can blame only themselves for failing to score. Chhetri — who played wide on the left — missed a sitter late in the first half, a goal that could have changed the course of the tie and perhaps ended Nepal’s resistance.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh played an inch-perfect ball from the centre of the field, slicing through the defence. Chhetri timed his run well and beat the centre-back to move in a one-on-one position with the goalkeeper. Having done all the hard work, Chhetri just had to slot the ball past the onrushing keeper. However, he could not even find the target with his feeble attempt. Minutes later, Lyngdoh once again played a delicious ball to release Francis Fernandes. But he too shot wide from a decent position inside the box.

If Chhetri looked off-colour, Robin and Jeje were not sharp enough. To his credit, Robin was one of the most hard-working players on the field. He used his strong physique to win the aerial duels and tracked back to help the midfield. But he couldn’t get into goal-scoring positions nor could he manage an attempt at goal barring one chance mid-way through the first half.

The midfield, as expected, controlled the play for long periods but that is because Nepal were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. Against Iran, India will get much less time on the ball and even lesser shots on goal. “So it becomes important to take our chances. Against Iran, there won’t be many and we have to make the most of whatever chances we create,” Constantine said.

For Nepal, the draw will be as good as a win. After the final whistle, one of their players got a flag, draped it around his shoulders and embarked on a ‘victory’ lap. For the longest time since they last played an international match — in March, also against India — football was not even on the minds of these players. They were involved in rescue operations, helping those affected by the devastating earthquakes. Most were not even match fit. But their ‘unending fighting spirit’ — as Constantine put it — made life tough for India.

India, though, can only blame themselves. And they have just a week to get their house in order before the mighty Iran arrive on Sunday.

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