A new match, a new captain; and an added responsibility too. Climax Lawrence will be leading India against United Arab Emirates in the World Cup Qualifier. Fresh from a historic 2-1 triumph against Qatar, Climax, isn’t willing to go overboard after being declared the Captain. “The match will be tough. But we are ready. So far, we have performed well. It has all been possible because each one us have been doing our job. Our hard work is paying dividends but we need to sustain the momentum,” India’s Captain Cool said. “The credit goes to our coach, who has been able to tune all the players to the new style of play in such a short span of time,” he added. Analysing the performances in the two International Friendlies against Maldives and Qatar, the Dempo midfielder said, “We created a lot of chances against Maldives and could have won the game. Against Qatar, the performance in the first half set up the momentum and we frustrated them till the final whistle.” Climax added: “UAE are a very good side. They beat Lebanon in a friendly match and would be keen to rope in the home advantage.” Climax, however, knows Team India will get their chances too. “We need to convert our chances. The mood in the team is upbeat and everyone is looking forward to the match.”
The following 23 players have been registered against UAE (Away-Match): Goalkeepers: Subrata Pal, Karanjit Singh, Laxmikant Kattimani Defenders: Samir Naik, Gouramangi Singh, Raju Gaikwad, Debabrata Roy, Mahesh Gawli, Velleriano Rebello, Robert Lalthlamuana, Rowilson Rodrigues Midfielders: Steven Dias, Mehtab Hossain, Climax Lawrence (Capt.), Rahim Nabi, Lalrindika Ralte, Sheikh Jewel Raja, Lalkamal Bhowmik, Clifford Miranda Strikers: Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sushil Kumar Singh, Baljit Sahni. The match scheduled on Saturday kicks off at 9:30 PM and will be aired on Ten Action Plus.