FIFA World Cup Qualifiers | It’s a big regret that I could not make the squad, says Pronay Halder

The Indian football team will take on Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers game on October 15 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. This is the first international match that will be played in the City of Joy for the first time since 2011. However, local lad Pronay Halder, who also led the Indian team in the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year, has to give the game a miss due to fitness issues and as a reason, has been left disappointed.

“Of course it’s a big regret that I could not make the squad. An international game at my hometown is a special thing and I am a bit disappointed on missing out on the game. I can’t really express the feeling in words,” Halder told PTI.

Halder got injured during the Super Cup in Bhubaneswar where he was playing for ATK earlier this year. The midfielder is hopeful to train hard in the future and get back to full fitness as soon as possible.

“There’s nothing that I can do about it right now. All I can do is train harder, get back to full fitness and try to be back in the team for the rest of the World Cup Qualifiers,” Halder said.

“I may not be in the team right now, but they always have my full support. I was glued to the television during the Qatar game, and you can rest assured that I will be watching this game from the very first minute.”

“The team fought a lot in the away game against Qatar, and that one point that we got out of the difficult game was well-earned. It was entirely a team effort that got us that historic draw. It gave the boys that belief that we can also stand up and fight top teams,” Halder further added.