Anirban Lahiri excited by stronger 2016 EurAsia Cup field

Joy Chakravarty 17:06 12/01/2016
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  • Lahiri enjoyed a fine 2014 competition.

    Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA: Anirban Lahiri feels Europe have paid a massive compliment to the rising stature of Asian golf by sending a far stronger team for the 2016 EurAsia Cup.

    In the second edition of the tournament, which starts on Friday with six fourball matches, the Darren Clarke-led European team consists of 10 players ranked inside the top-60 of the world rankings.

    In the inaugural event in 2014, Asia stunned the Miguel Angel Jimenez’ European side by coming back from 0-5 down on the opening day to share the honours at 10-10, winning seven out of 10 points on offer in the singles.

    This year, the Asian team is led by Lahiri’s compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh, and with six players in the top-60, they are also much stronger than in 2014.

    Lahiri, now ranked 43rd in the world and on the verge of playing his first full season on the PGA Tour, said: “I think the first really good sign is that Europe has sent a much stronger team. So what does that tell you?

    “It tells you that we are strong enough and they are not going to take any chances. They thought they would send a B team and roll over us and that didn’t happen. That raised a lot of eyebrows.

    “But among us, I think we were very confident that we were strong enough. Yes, there were a lot of doubts after that first day, but I think we showed our character with how we played.

    “Moving on, obviously two years later, I think the Asian Team is a lot stronger than it was two years back. So if the Europeans have sent a stronger team, it’s because they know that we are stronger, as well.

    “Having said that, I still think that we are going to be underdogs going into the event, which is a good thing for us, because I think it puts more pressure on Europe to win.

    “Our job here is to play our best and to get 12 and a half points and I think the entire team believes that we can do that.”

    Lahiri, who won his foursomes match on the second day and then beat Europe’s star player Victor Dubuisson 2&1 in singles last year, said the events of that week helped him gain more confidence and paved the path for future success.

    “For me personally, it was a very important event. I think it was the beginning of me gaining a little more confidence, a little more momentum, and my personal performance on the last two days really helped myself believe in myself. I’ve taken that over the last 34 months, and obviously it’s been fantastic for me.” Lahiri added.

    And the Bangalore-based 28-year-old paid tribute to his idol and captain, Milkha Singh.

    “I think it’s fantastic to have Jeev at the helm. He’s had a lot of experience. He’s played in a lot of team formats. He knows all of us. He knows the players who are coming in from Japan and Korea, as well,” said Lahiri.

    “Apart from that, obviously he’s spent a lot more time thinking about his captaincy, because he doesn’t have to think about playing right now.

    “I think all of us are very, very happy that he’s there. He’s kind of like a father figure, he gets all of us under his wing. He comes and talks to us and wants to know what we want and what makes us comfortable and to play with our strengths. I think the greatest job of a captain is to nurture his team, and he does that really well.”

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