Kolkata: Akash Mishra had a sleepless night after India lost to Brazil 0-4 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) a few days ago, and he now puts his focus on the upcoming clash against Uruguay on Tuesday.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of their fixture against the former two-time champions, Akash revealed that he could not sleep the night India lost to Brazil on Saturday. “I didn’t sleep. I was watching the game all night. I slept in the morning, and then I had to wake up early and do my recovery,” Mishra said in the presser.
Mishra did not exchange shirts with any of the Brazilian players after the game, saying that he did not feel like doing it after the defeat. “No. As I said, I was feeling really bad after the loss, so I didn’t. “Now, maybe (he would do it). But after the game, I was not feeling good,” the left-back added.
India have a shorter turnaround as compared to Uruguay for this fixture as the Blue Tigers played their game three days before the scheduled clash against the Diego Forlan-led side, while La Celeste have been in Kolkata for six days.
However, Akash did not see this as an excuse. “This is what the game demands from the players. We have to play whether it’s two days or three days. We have to be ready to perform well.
“There is nothing like we were only prepared for Brazil. We know the capabilities of all the teams, and we have to perform at our best level. Two are done, one more to go, and we have to finish on a very, very good note,” the 24-year-old added.
Meanwhile, India coach Khalid Jamil also remains aware of the threat Uruguay bring to the table. “As I said, they are physically strong, so we have to match them. Tactically also, they are good,” Jamil said in the presser. “One mistake will cost us very badly. We have to be very careful,” he added.
(IANS)
