Indian football team midfielder Deepak Tangri admitted he was a bit surprised when he got to know about his debut in the AFC Asian Cup opener against Australia. The Blue Tigers suffered a 2-0 loss against the Socceroos on Saturday.

India was able to keep Australia at bay in the first half but Jackson Irvine and Jordan Bos scored in the 50th and 73rd minute respectively to give a thumping win to their team.

Meanwhile, Tangri was part of India’s FIFA U-17 World Cup squad in 2017. He had previously represented the country at youth levels but played for the national team for the first time against Australia at the big stage.

Players like Jeakson Singh and Rohit Kumar were ruled out of injuries and thus Tangri was added to the 26-man squad.

“When I got on the probables list, I just wanted to take it step-by-step. I had to play well at my club to make the final squad. Once I was there, I just wanted to train and improve every day, and give my best,” Tangri said in an interview with the-aiff.com.

“I thought maybe if I work hard and keep improving, I’ll get in as a substitute and then in the starting XI later but did not think of this,” he said. “But once I was informed the night before the game that I would start, the first thing I did was to kick all the nerves out of my head and go to bed in time, to get a good night’s sleep.”

Meanwhile, Tangri was substituted before the 80-minute mark and he said it was a great experience for him to make his debut at the top level.

“It was a different experience for me, playing at that level. We fought hard to maintain our shape and hold our ground against Australia. But in the end, they are such a good side that they will punish the smallest of mistakes, and that’s what happened,” he revealed.

“We just have to keep our heads down and keep pushing for the next game.”

India will face Uzbekistan in their second match of the AFC Asian Cup on Thursday.