Bhaichung Bhutia gets candid with ESPN STAR Sports' Supriyo Goswami about India's fortunes in the AFC Challenge Cup.

Baichung Bhutia's form in the ongoing AFC Challenge has been impeccable to say the least. Three goals in the last two matches have propelled India to a place in the last four. In a freewheeling chat, Bhutia speaks about the way his team is performing, his teammates and how coach Bob Houghton has made a difference to the fortunes of the squad.

Supriyo Goswami: Slow start against Afghanistan but since then the team has displayed lot of courage and heart?

Bhaichung Bhutia: I am extremely happy with the commitment and the attitude the boys have shown in the field but as of now the job is half done. It will be extremely competitive in the knockout stage and the team as a whole has to put in more effort and needs to be more disciplined.

SG: In that first match you gave Bungo Singh a lashing for not closing down on one of the Afghan players. You do get angry when they don't play the way you want them to; more importantly one gets the feeling that you want them to play fearless football?

BB: I don't think I get angry at them. Nowadays we spend hours in training and more often than not we decide the positions our boys need to be in for various situations. I get angry when during the match despite knowing what they have to do they do not get into those positions. Once they are there even if they make mistakes it is ok but for me the most important aspect is to get into those positions which get decided during our training. Apart from being fearless it is vital that you play with intelligence and you play with confidence.

SG: Gourmangi and Surkumar have been brilliant in defence. They are young professionals. As a seasoned striker do you spend quality time with them passing on tips or do you leave it to them?

BB: I like to keep it simple; so far in this tournament they have been doing a marvelous job. They have been getting behind the ball and more often than not they have been in the right positions. To be honest enough I haven't got the opportunity to interfere with the way they have functioned and that is how I would want things to function. If the need be I will definitely have a chat with them.

SG: How fit is Mahesh Gawli, do we see him in the semi-finals and what makes him so special?

BB: We are just hoping that we get him for the semi finals, there is still some time left and we are keeping our fingers crossed. I have played with and against him and for me he is the best defender that I have seen in Indian Football. For me he is a class act simply because he is an exceptionally intelligent individual and physically a very strong guy.

SG: After the match against Tajikistan, their coach emphasiSed on the fact that the Indians were playing English style of football with lot of importance being given on how the wings function. Is it the way Bob Houghton wants India to play?

BB: I thing on a regular basis we play direct football as well as through the wings. The key for me is to play effective football, even Bob more often than not tends to emphasise on that aspect. We might not be playing attractive football but as long as we are winning, no one should be complaining about it. You cannot expect us to play like Brazil or for that matter Chelsea. We need to function keeping in mind the team we have at our disposal.

SG: Your take on the way Bob has functioned?

BB: I think Bob has been exceptional as a coach; the way we train is a testimony to it. All of us will confess that we have picked up a lot from Bob. I have been part of squads where no one knew his role; there weren't any plans or strategy in place. We were not disciplined but now irrespective of whom we are playing we know exactly what our role should be on the field and for that you have got to give credit to the coach. I think today we are much more disciplined than before.

SG: You take on Myanmar in the semi-finals? Your thoughts on that side?

BB: It is a side that relies a lot on stamina which basically means that they will run the distance for the full 90 minutes, so it is upto us to accordingly take them on. They don't have any superstars but they are a side that will fight till the end and that makes them extremely dangerous.

SG: Steven Dias and Sunil Chetri have been brilliant in this tournament so far? As a captain how do you assess their performance?

BB: To me Steven has got the best cross in the team, his presence makes a lot of difference to the side and he also contributes a lot to the defence and that makes him that much more special. Chetri on the other hand has lots of potential and so far he has been extremely sincere in the way he has approached his game. I think if he can carry on in this fashion he can surpass me and achieve much more than what I have achieved.

SG: Finally is this the team for the future?

BB: Absolutely, it's a team that has given results on a consistent basis. We won the Nehru Cup last year, except for the finals at the SAF games we played good football in that tournament and now we are in the semi finals of the AFC. I think most importantly now we know which way we are heading and that makes all the difference.