ISL has helped Indian football team take giant leap on world stage: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma (Pic: AFP)

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday credited the Indian Super League (ISL) for helping the national football team take giant strides at the world stage.

Rohit added the Indian team has gained confidence and backed them to perform well in upcoming tournaments.

"They have taken a giant leap in where they are at this moment," he said at an event here.

"The ISL has played a huge part in that. The most important thing is for people to get exposure. Even for us in cricket, when the emergence of IPL happened, a lot of our local players got exposure playing with international stars. That is what the leagues in India are doing," Rohit said.

In June, the Indian football team, led by Sunil Chhetri, emerged victorious in the Intercontinental Cup as well as the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.

Also Read: All Hail Sunil Chhetri!

Rohit emphasized the importance of exposure and expressed belief the team will improve further as more opportunities come.

"I would love for them to play against one of the top European teams and go neck-and-neck. Whenever I see them play, they look quite confident. Definitely, they have got a lot of skills as well," he said.

"It is just about exposure. The more exposure they get by playing in Europe and other parts of the world, they are only going to get better," Rohit added.

India will next participate in the King's Cup in Thailand prior to the Asian Games in September-October.

The Indian men's football team for Asian Games has already been announced.

(With PTI inputs)