By Nilanjan Datta,
AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The Indian eTigers have reached Copenhagen and are settling down fast as FIFAe Nations Cup 2022 is all set to kick-off from July 27 onwards. This is the first time that India have earned a qualification to the tournament.

Over 80 countries played in the qualifiers, with 24 teams qualifying for the final stage. The qualified teams have been divided into four groups and each team plays each other twice in a round robin format with the top four teams from each group advancing to the Round of 16.

“I can have a Ronaldo Nazario as my No. 9, a Cristiano Ronaldo, a Lionel Messi, a Rudd Gullit or anyone,” quipped Sidd Chandarana. “The formations and tactics depend on the players you choose,” he added.

“All of the features of the players have been incorporated into the players as per their body type and specialities in the system. So a Cristiano Ronaldo can outjump anyone in the field, a Messi can dribble like he does in real life,” Chandarana smiled, as his nimble fingers moved faster on his controller than perhaps a Messi’s feet over the ball.

Most times it’s also a unique situation with both players having the same players in their ranks. “My rival can also be playing with the same set of players which means that you may have two Lionel Messi-s on the pitch -- one in each team. In such a situation, it boils down to the skill level of the player to win it,” Chandarana informed.

So are there any Indian players incorporated into the system. “Yes, of course,” Charanjot Singh nodded. “Majority of the Indian players playing in the Hero ISL can also be picked. E-FIFA is growing a lot in our country. The introduction of eISL helped a lot.  But when it comes to ratings, Pele and Messi are the highest rated players in the set-up. Both are rated at 99, and that’s the highest which you can get,” Charanjot explained.

“Prior to a tournament I practice about 5-6 hours in a day, while during weekends we can go up to 8-9 hours a day,” Chandarana expressed. “I always record my matches, look at my mistakes later in my quest to improve myself as a player.”