Tried to keep things normal during penalty shootouts: Indian goalie Gurpreet Sandhu on his heroics at SAFF

"Penalties are often dismissed as a lottery," wrote Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski in their seminal book on football, Soccernomics.  If indeed  penalties are the lottery of football, then the Indian team hit the jackpot not once but twice — during their successful stint in the recently concluded SAFF Championship.

And the man who almost made a habit of winning the "lottery" — along with the SAFF Championship trophy — was goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The towering keeper was India's hero as he made some crucial penalty saves, first against Lebanon in the semifinal, and then against Kuwait in the final.

Fresh after winning the SAFF Championship and catching a much-deserved break, Sandhu, a Red Bull athlete who plays for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL), in an interview with CNBCTV18.com spoke at length about his first memories of football, his penalty heroics, what makes  Sree Kanteerava Stadium special, and much more.

Sandhu: I started playing football at the age of eight or nine. Just like everyone else, to be part of a team, getting a chance to kick a ball was something that I enjoyed a lot. I wanted to do it everyday. I ended up making a career out of it. Not a bad journey to be honest. I have enjoyed a lot. I am glad that I had a football academy in my school, St Stephens, Chandigarh, who provided me an opportunity to join an academy and play football there.

Sandhu: I never watched football on TV. Back then, like most of us, we  watched cricket. My dad loves cricket and would watch a lot of cricket. We did not have too much knowledge about football on television. I am not sure if domestic football was on the television back then.

I had very basic or zero knowledge about the game. I remember the 2002 World Cup happening — everyone donning the Rolando haircut.  That is about all.

The first time I ever watched football on TV was in 2006 or 2007 — and it was Manchester United. That was also with the under-17 Indian football team. We all sat in our dorm room together in the AIFF house.  That is how I started watching football.

Sandhu: To be honest, the preparations were very normal. Going in with the same kind of mentality that we need to win it in 90 minutes. No one wants the match to go into the penalties. I would have preferred if we had won the game in 90 minutes. But of course, nothing is easy in life. The other team wants to win as well.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in action during India's successful run in the SAFF championship. (Image: GurpreetGK Twitter))

Unfortunately or fortunately, we had to go into the penalties — then it is 50-50. I was at the better end. There was nothing new about my preparations. I was trying to keep it as normal as possible. Just try to be focused and not get carried away, with conceding a goal or saving a penalty.

Sandhu: I think it is the desire to win a trophy. We wanted to do it in front of our fans. Specially in Bangalore which is my home. To do it in front of the fans in style was  something that drove us throughout.

Sandhu: I drink half a can of Red Bull before the game and the other half at half-time. It helps me so much during half-time because you need that instant energy to go out on the pitch and play the second half of the game. Since I started keeping a can of Red Bull by my side, it has helped me to gain that focus and it has elevated my game; to be able to perform on the pitch a lot better. I love to do that, and will continue to do that.

Sandhu: The fans make the stadium special. Their knowledge about the game makes it special. Them being supportive throughout is what makes it special. The reason we won the SAFF cup is because of the fans. They were the 12th man. They supported us throughout and believed in us. They are the reason why we do well at Kanteerava.

If you pull out the past records, we have always given the opponents a good fight at the stadium. So all the credit goes to the fans who want to come in numbers and enjoy a good spectacle.

Sandhu: The performance of the every single Indian player is a testament of ISL's success. The aim of the league was always to build and promote Indian footballers. I think it has done really good job. Since it has begun, we have grown in numbers, in terms of teams, in terms of viewership. It is a good place to be right now. ISL is a product where even the bigger names of Indian football should participate.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Bengaluru FC(Image: GurpreetGK Twitter)

Sandhu: He (Sunil Chhetri) leads by example. That is the kind of person he is. He is the person who just doesn't sit there and say things. He will do it for you. If he can't do it, he will not ask someone else to do it as well. He is required in the team to set standards. He is the one who is always in the top bunch. There is only one Sunil Chhetri. We are lucky enough to have a world level player. For us it is very important to celebrate the man and his legacy.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu with Indian captain Sunil Chettri. (Image: GurpreetGK Twitter)

Sandhu:The results speak for themselves. It has been wonderful. It is a process and the coach has instilled in the boys through constant message. To push the kind of football that he wants us to play. Overtime we have learnt it and the players have matured. We have peaked at the right time. That is why we have the string of results. So his work, in terms of sending the right message to the players on the way we should play football and how we present ourselves, is something  we have caught on. Let's hope we carry will it forward.

Sandhu: Right now I am just focusing on having a good time. I want to enjoy this small break with my family, with my wife. After that I will start work again. The team has more tournaments coming up. The Merdeka Cup and the King's Cup — and the Asian Cup in January. After this good two-week break, we will be back to work.

Sandhu: Just enjoy yourself. Don't think too much. Focus on having a good sleep. Eat less fried food. Less masala food. Make sure you are taking care of your nutrition. Just be happy.