India's quest for a maiden Commonwealth Games title remained unfulfilled after losing to Australia in the final but goalkeeper P R Sreejesh feels they have become mentally more stronger now and have shown great improvement in the just-concluded quadrennial event.
India lost 0-4 to world champions Australia in the final of the Glasgow Games yesterday and squandered yet another chance to avenge upon their 0-8 thrashing at the hands of the same opponents in the 2010 Delhi edition of the Games.
"We were not thinking about the Delhi Games final (going into yesterday's match). We have played Australia in the recent past and while we lost 0-4 in the World Cup, the margin was 2-4 in the league match of the Glasgow CWG. It shows that we are improving and can beat top teams like Australia in future," Sreejesh told PTI Bhasha from Glasgow.
"Indian players are mentally stronger now. We are not at the desired level but we have improved for sure. We have shown that in the semifinal against New Zealand in the manner we came back and won despite conceding two early goals," he said.
Sreejesh feels India should now focus on winning more against higher ranked opponents.
"We should focus on beating world ranked 3rd and 4th teams. This is a young side and will play with more confidence after gaining experience at the top level," he said.
He said that India were well deserved silver medalist in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
