India can compete at big stage but need experience: Gouramangi

Doha: Indian football team centre back Gouramangi Singh feels that the country can catch up with

other nations of Asia with frequent participation in big events like the ongoing Asian Cup here. Gouramangi, who scored India`s first goal in the Asian Cup after the 1964 edition, when he found the target against Bahrain on Friday, said the players are not overawed by the reputation of their opponents in the continental showpiece. "It is a learning curve for us, no doubt, and we are playing against the best in Asia. We need this kind of matches. I feel we are as good as any other country and only thing we are lacking was the experience. With more experience, we can improve and catch up," Gouramangi said ahead of India`s last group match against South Korea on Tuesday. "At a personal level before playing Australia and Bahrain, you have the feeling that oh you are playing against top sides and some big players. But once the game starts I am not overawed and was able to build up the tempo of the game," said Gouramangi who joins the likes of legendary footballers Chuni Goswami and Inder Singh in scoring a goal in the Asian Cup. In the 1964 Asian Cup in Singapore, the first time India took part in the competition, Inder Singh scored twice while Goswami, Surkumar Samajapati and K Appalaraju found the target once each in Tel Aviv, Israel. In the 1984 edition, India crashed out of the group stage after losing to hosts Singapore, UAE and China and without scoring a single goal. Gouramangi`s career graph has been on the rise ever since the Nehru Cup in 2007 when he was brought into the starting eleven in place of Deepak Mandal who injured himself in the very first game of the tournament against Cambodia. The 24-year-old Manipuri, who was recently declared the Indian Player of the Year, said what matter is the performance on the field not the awards and accolades. "It feels good having scored the first goal but what was more important that we made a comeback after being 1-0 down. Obviously, defensively as a team we could have done better in the game," he explained. "I think the most difficult thing for every player is to wake up and go to training, stay fit and maintain the high standard. I have to work on this every day. The awards come later. I must thank Churchill Brothers for showing their belief in me.” "And, of course I thank Karim (Bencherifa) for giving me my first break," he said of the former Churchill Brothers coach and now in-charge of Salgaocar. Gouramangi has already built a reputation of scoring important goals for the country and most of his goals have come from free-kicks and corner kicks. His first goal came against Maldives in the 2008 SAFF Cup in India`s 1-0 victory and the second was the winner in the semifinal against Bhutan in the same competition. His third goal was against Sri Lanka in the 2009 Nehru Cup which helped India win the match. "The goal against Bahrain was my fourth goal. Most of the goals I have scored have come from set pieces and corners kicks. I thank coach Bob Houghton who allowed me to go up during free kicks and corner kicks," said the Churchill Brothers defender. PTI