Historic draw against Qatar game was not my best game, reveals Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu feels that the historic 0-0 draw against Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers was not his best performance for the national side. The goalkeeper made his international debut for India back in 2011 during an AFC Challenge Cup Qualification match against Turkmenistan.
India’s steep rise in the FIFA rankings for the past five years coincided with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu peaking as one of India’s best goalkeeper ever. When it comes to notable performances, the fans relate him to the inhuman performance he produced during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Qatar, which helped India claim a historic draw. However, he feels that was not his best performance for the national side.
“Almost everyone I speak to always makes me remember about the Qatar match. But if you ask me, that isn’t my best performance so far. I understand that in the Qatar match, we got a result – and hence, it will always stay a highlight,” said Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, in an AIFF press release.
With 38 international caps to his name, the custodian feels that a couple of performances prior to the Qatar game was much more significant. He pointed out to the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers against Iran, in which India lost 0-4 and the 0-0 draw against China as his two best outings with the Indian team.
“Rather, I will always pick two other matches ahead of my performance against Qatar. The away match against Iran in the World Cup Russia 2018 Qualifiers in 2016 in front of a packed Azadi Stadium in Tehran will always remain on top of my list. Yeah, we lost 0-4, but I feel there was much more pressure in Tehran than in Doha. The match against China in China also ranks high on my list. It required me to be at my best, and depicted my mentality, like all others,” added the Bengaluru FC star.