After recovering from his bout against Covid-19, Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri is looking to get back on to the field when they take on Tribhuwan Army FC in the AFC Cup Preliminary Stage Two on Wednesday.
The Indian captain is in good spirits, joking about making the cut under new manager Marco Pezzaiuoli, but when asked about his tryst with Covid-19, the conversation turns sombre.
"The first five days, I was struggling immensely," he said. "You know when you think or read about it, you think that you will be fine… you are fit and nothing will happen, but I really struggled. I have never felt that kind of physical pain ever. It was brutal. Everyone should take care of themselves, it is not something that one can mess around with."
Even after recovering from the ailment, Chhetri - a premier athlete but all accounts - says it's been a slow process.
"I was advised, the first seven days after I tested negative, not to push myself. It was just walking, cycling, they monitored my heart rate. I had to take a chest x-ray before I got a green chit to train. Even after that, I had to do stuff with (physio) Senen (Alvarez) and Suhas and I slowly joined the team," he said.
"What you think is once you test negative, you can go and start training, but it is not like that. It is a process and you have start slowly. You know that you are not there yet, but you don’t know where you are lacking. But you can feel it. You always think you are fitter than what you are, but thankfully, the medical team handled the situation and slowly helped me get into training with the team."
Now back with the team and training, Chhetri is looking forward to the competition. With a new coach in charge, the talismanic attacker is happy with his 'clarity'.
"There are few differences compared to what we would do under Carles (Cuadrat). The pressing is quite evident. It is not what we are used to but the coach wants it. I like the clarity a lot. It's exciting to have fresh ideas that he has gotten," said Chhetri adding that the youngsters in the team are also enjoying the process.
The Men in Blue had given opportunities to many of the young stars during the course of a disappointing Indian Super League season. And Chhetri feels this is a fresh start for the club with the Asian competition.
"I really expect a reaction and it starts from individuals. We were horrible last year, to say the least, and that gives an added motivation to everyone to perform. When we lose a game, sometimes, you start pointing your fingers at each other, the good thing was that we were so bad, every one of us, that there is no pointing fingers at anyone. Apart from Cleiton (Silva), Suresh (Wangjam) and a few young guys, we were bad," he stressed.
"Coach got sacked, it was a big turmoil. It was not easy, head started dropping, mistakes were made, and chances were getting missed... the good thing is we did so badly that we have so much space to improve."
And the first challenge is the Nepal club.
"We are taking one game at a time. Generally, when I say this we are the dominant side and we want to be humble. But this time I'm saying it and meaning it. We watched Tribhuwan beat the Sri Lankan team (Sri Lanka Police SC). They play quite well. You can see the unity and the way they have trained. They must have stayed together for a time. It's not going to be easy. So we are not thinking about the group stages or who we are going to play next. And right now, it's more what the coach wants from us," he signed off.