Team-building exercise for India

 He is not shy to admit when his side is on the back foot. But he is a man who will do his best to see his boys give their all when they take on a feared opponents.

Stephen Constantine, the Indian coach, is  sure that his side will need more than just their football skills if they have to stage an upset against Oman in their FIFA World Cup qualifier tie on June 11.

“Oman is a difficult side to beat, and that’s a given. My boys will need to rely on each other and work as a team if they are to get something out of the tie,” said Constantine on Sunday.

In one such effort, which is aimed at building trust and understanding among players, the Indian team went through a team-building exercise organised by the Indian Army.

Held at the Army Service Corps (ASC) centre in the city, the team was put through a series of obstacle course to help develop their co-ordination and movements.
“I have done this many times during my career,” said Constantine.

“As soon as we got back from Nepal, I started planning this. It was something that I wanted to do with them, specially when you have a lot of new players. I think it’s important for them to “suffer” as a team,” he added.

Giving the exercise more perspective, the coach said that such exercises help you to grow as a team. “We are going to be fighting in every game. We need to be able to trust the guy who's next to us. It's not a war situation, but for us it is,” he quipped.
India take on Oman in the first qualifier on June 11.