Playing in the Asian Cup was a huge lesson for all of us, says Ashique Kuruniyan

After making a huge impact by winning their first match of the AFC Asian Cup against Thailand 4-1, the Indian team could not progress to the knockout stages even though they had to just sneak out a draw in their final match against Bahrain in their final group game. They fell short, losing the final match 0-1 through a penalty in added time. But Indian midfielder Ashique Kuruniyan believes that even though they could not make it to the top 16, the event was a good learning curve for the team.

“We got to play against some of the best players in the continent. It was a huge lesson for all of us as far as decision making in the match was concerned,” Ashique was quoted as saying by the All India Football Federation’s official website.

India played a total of three games in the event winning one and losing two. Their first loss was against the hosts United Arab Emirates(UAE) who defeated India 2-0. Kuruniyan said that the tournament comprised of high quality sides and his game improved after taking part in the event.

“The difficulty level was naturally high and all three matches were against difficult opposition. The experience of playing in such a high-quality tournament was amazing. I feel my game has improved after this challenge and now, we have to take it forward from here.”

Kuruniyan also said that the final league match India played against Bahrain was the toughest of all as the opponents were not allowing them to create any chances. And also said that it was not an easy match for them as the opponents were also playing a physically strong game.

“I feel it was the last match against Bahrain. We had fewer chances to score and the opponents were playing a direct style of football. They were quite physical and were winning almost all the second balls. It was a tough outing for us.”