Gurpreet Singh — Stephen Constantine’s first choice goalkeeper — continues to grow in stature as India captain in international friendlies and is likely to be handed a first-team place for the Asian Cup Qualifier next week in Bengaluru against Kyrgyz Republic.

Gurpreet extended his influence to other areas on the pitch during India’s international friendly against Nepal. Besides keeping a clean slate , he kept his teammates in the defence on their toes with brief bursts of chatter.

The home team goalkeeper also caught the rival backline by surprise with a counter-attack. A quickly-taken goal-kick saw the ball crossing the length of the pitch and bouncing around the opponent box. Bikash Jairu raced up to trap and was fouled, earning his team a direct free-kick and the offending player a red card.

“He appears to be getting taller each time,” joked the national coach, when asked to spot any changes each time Gurpreet, who is 1.94m tall, returns from Europe where he is contracted with Norwegian club Stabeak IF.

He is the only Indian to stay away from the Indian Super League so far to build a reputation as a professional in Europe.

The 25-year-old moved from East Bengal to Stabaek in August 2014 where his current contract runs out in July 2017.

Constantine hopes more Indians follow the captain’s example. “Gurpreet coming back and talking to the boys, telling them what it is like (out there) is useful. I am sure some of them are thinking about getting an opportunity. More of them need to take that step. He has stuck it out for three years in Norway all by himself. It is a beautiful country but also very cold.”

Constantine added: “It is not easy, you need faith in yourself and he has shown that. I believe we have talent in this country, we don’t know how good till we go outside and test ourselves in Europe.”

Said Gurpreet, “Someone made me believe that I can make it (in European football). When I was playing, I looked at Baichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri, Subrata Paul who have played outside (India). If they could, why not me?

“These three players fired me to try and get into a club in Europe. It is a risk worth taking if you do the right things. It is not a risk people should be afraid of. I urge the young players to make an attempt.”

India moving up to 100 in FIFA’s national ranking may help, as also live telecast of competitions like the Asian Cup qualifiers and AFC events involving champion clubs like Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan, and Aizwal FC.

The opportunities to impress talent scouts is growing. Whether other players follow Gurpreeet’s footsteps remains to be seen.