Sandesh Jhingan targets India’s FIFA World Cup qualification after winning Arjuna Award

On Saturday, India centre-back Sandesh Jhingan became the 27th footballer from the country to win the iconic Arjuna Award. A proud Sandesh Jhingan took to Instagram to take note of his achievement over the weekend and claimed that he's hoping to thrive under the added pressure of expectation that has come with the award. The former Kerala Blasters defender has now set his aim to help India qualify for the FIFA World Cup. 

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Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan wins Arjuna Award for 2020

While speaking in an interview after winning the prestigious Arjuna Award, the 27-year-old Sandesh Jhingan spoke about his ultimate dream of helping India qualify for a FIFA World Cup. The centre-back said: "Initially, the dream was just to be part of Indian football and representing the country but as I grew older, my dreams also started taking shape and I was always aiming higher." Jhingan then added, "Winning the Arjuna Award was one of my dreams, I had seen our captain Sunil Chhetri win it when I was a teenager and now one of my dreams has come true."

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A delighted Jhingan revealed, "I got a number of missed calls from family and friends after winning the award, even Sunil Chhetri called me. I've won this award for my family because they've sacrificed so much for me to get where I am today." The Arjuna Award doesn't only come as a motivation for Jhingan but he also spoke about how football in India is only getting more and more popular. "When I had a dream to play football for India, games weren't even televised but now they are. I hope that by winning this award myself, I can inspire a few other youngsters to participate in the sport. I hope a footballer wins this award again next year", he added.

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Sandesh Jhingan outlines plans for India's qualification for FIFA World Cup

Sandesh Jhingan, who made his debut for the Blue Tigers back in 2015, also revealed his plans to help India reach the FIFA World Cup one day. "We have to take everything step by step. For starters, we should regularly be part of the AFC Asian Cup and then break into the top 100, top 50 and so on. Winning tournaments abroad as well as keeping physically and mentally fit is also another major requirement", explained Jhingan. The former Kerala Blasters star will also be hoping to end his drought in the ISL, having made it to the finals on two previous occasions.

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Image Credits - Sandesh Jhingan Instagram