India will play their opening match of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers against Oman in Guwahati on September 5

PANAJI: Coach Igor Stimac drove to the hospital where Amarjit Singh was recuperating after a surgery on his fractured hand and offered him his support.

India’s captain at the Fifa U-17 World Cup and a new entrant to the senior team, Amarjit has won plenty of hearts with his brave heart performance in midfield for the national team, and Stimac is among his biggest admirer.

“He was giving us what we needed in the middle of the pitch. Never mind his age, he looked like a 29-year-old who had 200 matches behind him. He was disciplined, holding position, aggressive and fighting for each ball, winning most of the second balls which has been a problem for India in the past. Now we’ve lost him,” Stimac told TOI on Friday.

The injury to Amarjit during the last five minutes of training on Wednesday – he clashed with defender Anas Edathodika – is a blow for India, but the Croatian coach still had plenty to cheer. During a training game at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Thursday, Sunil Chhetri scored goals for fun, looking sharp as ever, while Sandesh Jhingan and Adil Khan were getting into the groove at the back.

The back-four has been a worrying factor for Stimac since taking charge. A defender of huge repute himself – he won bronze at the 1998 World Cup -- he knows improvements are needed; three goals conceded against Curacao, four against Tajikistan and five against North Korea cannot be swept under the carpet, but during the 80-minute game between the first team and reserves, things looked good.

“The four (first choice) defenders are back now. Sandesh was having a problem, but he feels good at the moment. He is important for us. He is the ironman, one who can organise things at the back,” said Stimac.

India will need all their players to be available for the crucial World Cup 2022 qualifying opener against Oman in Guwahati on September 5. It’s a match that will show India the mirror.

“It will be a very interesting game. We have something to offer now and it’s not about kick and chase. It’s about a different approach. I appreciate (what) Constantine (did), because he didn’t have an option. That was the only way he could play. We play football with the players we have.

“For years, Constantine was working with a certain group of players and built confidence between them. The players who I am using are young now. You can imagine how young they were when Constantine came here. With a little bit of luck in the Asian Cup, India would have qualified, he would still be here, or in some better place,” said Stimac.

Stimac’s biggest test will come against Oman and Asian champions Qatar in the first two qualifiers and the Croatian coach is ready for the worst.

“The opening game will define our approach. We are going to Guwahati to win (against Oman). That’s very clear. If we win the game, we have a chance to finish second. If we don’t win but not lose, we are still in the hunt. If we lose the game, it will be quite clear that we need to have better results than Afghanistan and Bangladesh to make sure of the third spot.

“We are facing the two best teams in our group in the first two matches. We need to be ready for the worst-case scenario. It’s possible we lose both games. I don’t want to think about that possibility, but we have to be ready. That’s how we approach the games. To win,” said Stimac.

