Veteran Subrata ready to wait for his opportunity

MUMBAI: Indian goalkeeper Subrata Pal may have received the Arjuna Award recently but has been on the fringe of the national football team’s starting line-up for

MUMBAI: Indian goalkeeper Subrata Pal may have received the Arjuna Award recently but has been on the fringe of the national football team’s starting line-up for the better part of a year now.

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India head coach Stephen Constantine has preferred to start with the younger shot-stopper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu ever since he put him between the sticks in India’s World Cup qualifier against Iran on September 8 last year. Pal has only started two of India’s 12 matches since.

But 29-year-old Pal doesn’t feel hard done by the decision.

“There was a challenge before, and there still is one now. Before me, there was someone who had the number one spot. And after me, there will be someone else who will have it. No one can hold down their position for their entire lifetime,” Pal told the media at Andheri Sports Complex before the team’s training session on Tuesday.

Pal rose to prominence in 2007 when his performances convinced then head coach Bob Houghton to play him instead of Sandip Nandy as the team’s first choice goalkeeper. He featured prominently in the India squad to win the 2007, 2009 and 2012 editions of the Nehru Cup as well as the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup.

But he has no qualms with 24-year-old Sandhu — who plays for Norwegian Tippeligaen club Stabaek — for displacing him from the No 1 position.

“I respect Gurpreet because he plays and works hard outside India. I also respect the coach’s decision to play him. The day the coach gives me a chance to start a game, I will do my best. For now, the coach has stuck with Gurpreet. If he has decided that is best for the team, then it is probably right. The day I start, I will give it my 100 per cent.”

Joining the squad in Mumbai after receiving the Arjuna Award, Pal was taken aback by the splendid condition of the newly renovated Andheri Sports Complex.

Pal was also greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his time in New Delhi.

“He (Narendra Modi) said if I had any advice on development of football in India, I am free to talk. He shared his email id with us to share suggestions,” Pal said of his interaction with the PM.

He also has faith that Indian football is in a transition phase for the better. “He (Constantine) has built a young team. Our team’s average age is 24-25. I hope we stay together for at least another two years and achieve qualification to the 2019 Asian Cup. If that happens, then this same group of players will perform really well.”