Make us proud, Virat Kohli tells India’s U17 World Cup members

India cricket team captain Virat Kohli has extended his wishes to the U-17 football team, gearing up to take part in the World Cup starting October 6.

Sports minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also wished the FIFA U-17 World Cup team, good luck. The minister, an Olympic silver medallist in shooting, met the squad in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Virat Kohli, who recently guided the India team to their third consecutive ODI series win over Australia in India, looked a relaxed figure in a short video that he uploaded on Twitter to convey his wishes to the young Indian football team.

“Our boys are taking part in the U-17 FIFA World Cup which starts on October 6. Their first match is against team USA. I would like to wish them all the very best for the first game and the rest of the tournament. Go, get it boys, make us proud,” said Kohli in a 15-second video.

Addressing the India U-17 World Cup players, Rathore said, “You are going to play the game of your life and every moment counts. When you enter the field, you should enter to win...Every game you play will be etched in your memory forever, so play for your life and play to win.”

MUMBAI:

India’s first-choice goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh on Tuesday expressed confidence that the hard work he has put in and the sacrifices he made will be rewarded in the form of impressive performances in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The Manipuri boy is excited to be a part of India’s first-ever World Cup team. “All my days of sacrifice and hard work will be rewarded and I am very much excited to be a part of the first Indian team to feature in a FIFA World Cup,” Dheeraj said.

Dheeraj, who hails from Moirang in Bishnupur district, said he prefers to strike a balance between aggressive goalkeeping and composed goalkeeping. “You have to pick your moments and chose what type of goalkeeping will suit the moment. Sometimes aggressive goalkeeping can lead to difficulties and even conceding a goal while composed goalkeeping could work and vice-versa. For a goalkeeper, both styles of goalkeeping are important.”

Asked how tough is a goalkeeper’s job, he said, “Staying in the moment is the job of a goalkeeper and a slight lack of focus

NEW DELHI: