Captain Gurpreet wants India to be brave in international friendlies vs Brazil, Uruguay and Panama

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, India goalkeeper and captain, wants his team to embrace the challenge of facing Brazil and Uruguay in a high-profile international window, saying the matches should be used to build confidence and prepare for future Asian Cup qualification.

India will first face Panama on Sept 25 before taking on Brazil (Oct 3) and Uruguay (Oct 6) in the following days, giving the team three games against opponents with recent World Cup experience and players competing at some of Europe's biggest clubs.

Sandhu, however, said India were not yet thinking about the stature of Brazil or Uruguay, with the immediate focus firmly on Panama.


“We know these games are big and the opposition is strong, but what they have done in the past in terms of the form and stuff like that does not concern me personally,” Sandhu said during an interaction arranged by Sony Sports Network. “We want to focus on ourselves and make sure that we as a team are ready for whoever we face.”

The goalkeeper said the three-match window offered India an opportunity to understand what was required to compete against players accustomed to the highest level of the game.

For Sandhu, who is India's senior-most player following Sunil Chhetri's international retirement, playing time and exposure to top opposition are the principal benefits.

“It is a great opportunity to not only get game time out of it but also a feeling of how it is to be one of the best players in the world and how they operate and how they play for their national teams,” he said.

Sandhu also called for more matches against strong opposition, saying India could use such fixtures to assess their progress and identify areas for improvement.

He said those games did not necessarily have to be against global heavyweights, pointing to the leading teams in Asia as valuable opponents as India seek to become more competitive on the continent.

The goalkeeper's longer-term objective is to help India return to the Asian Cup regularly and progress beyond the group stage.

India missed out on qualification for the next edition of the continental tournament, and Sandhu said the current series should be viewed as part of the preparation for future Asian competition rather than an end in itself.

“I want us to use this to boost ourselves and build ourselves up to go and do well in the Asian Cup qualifiers and make sure that we qualify for the next edition,” he said.

Sandhu said India should not approach the upcoming games with the mindset of defending for 90 minutes against stronger opponents. Instead, he wants the team to be more adventurous in possession and without the ball, even if that brings mistakes.

“I want us to be a little bit more brave, brave without the ball, brave with the ball and try to not take pressure and be free and try things,” he said.

The matches will also give coach Khalid Jamil an opportunity to assess his squad, with players arriving from their respective clubs before the first game. Sandhu said the tight schedule and travel between Bengaluru and Kolkata would likely require the coach to use the full squad, although he stressed that decisions over playing time rested with Jamil.

With Chhetri no longer leading the attack, Sandhu said younger forwards would have to make the most of their opportunities.

“Sunil bhai has been a big, big player ... for the national team over the years, so he will always be missed,” he said. “But I think it is a great opportunity for players that we have in the forward line to grab this chance and take it with both hands.”

His advice to the younger players was straightforward: keep their approach simple, particularly against opponents who allow little time and space.

Sandhu also said he hoped to lead by example, rather than rely on motivational speeches, drawing on Chhetri's example of commitment in training and matches.

For India, the high-profile fixtures offer a rare chance to test themselves against elite opposition. Sandhu said the priority was to treat them as football matches, despite the attention surrounding the visiting teams.

“Any split second of losing focus can cost you in a big, big way,” he said.