Made use of whatever resources we had – Samuel Kynshi on India’s journey in the Asian Games

India’s rising star Samuel Kynshi said they tried to make use of whatever resources they had in the recently concluded Asian Games. The 23-year-old also reflected on India’s campaign in the Asian Games.

In fact, a lot of Indian Super League (ISL) clubs were reluctant to release their first-choice players as the Asian Games was falling outside of the FIFA international window. Thus, there were selection headaches for Igor Stimac.

Furthermore, India had to play hosts China on the day they landed and they could not even organize any training session. The Blue Tigers suffered a 5-1 loss against the home team.

However, India registered a narrow win against Bangladesh. Samuel Kynshi was able to make his full debut in a 1-1 drawn match against Myanmar.

On being selected for the Asian Games, Kynshi said in an interview with Sportskeeda, “ It was, of course, a happy and emotional feeling that brought a sense of pride to me as soon as I saw my name on the list. It is the dream of every footballer to represent the national team and it was really a great moment for me to realize this dream.”

The youngster said it was a pleasure for him to share the dressing room with veterans like Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhinghan.

He added, “They are complete professionals and as a young player, you can learn a lot by observing such players like Chhetri Bhai and Sandesh Bhai who have been consistent performers for both club and country. And it was a pleasure for me to share the dressing room with them.”

Speaking on playing under the tutelage of Igor Stimac, the youngster who plays for Punjab FC, said, “Coach Igor is very helpful, and he constantly keeps motivating all the players. Everyone in the coaching staff gave me tips on how to improve myself and where I have to work hard to keep on improving and get better.”

Speaking on the challenges the team faced in the Asian Games, Samuel said, “Always, there are challenges in the game. Instead of giving out any excuses, the whole team made use of whatever resources we had and did our very best. Every single player and staff member worked hard throughout the campaign and made sure that we gave our best in all of the matches.”