NEW DELHI, Aug 1: Legendary Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia says all strikers need to develop �sixth sense to smell� the opportune time to strike if they are to score regularly.
In a chat with AIFF TV, Bhutia, the first Indian footballer to have played 100 international matches, said strikers can be successful only when they can read goal-scoring situations well.
�It�s all about that sixth sense. You need to smell it as to where it would be coming. The best strikers in the world all have that sense,� said Bhutia, who is known as �Sikkimese Sniper� for his striking prowess during his playing days.
�You need to read situations. Unless you don�t develop your sixth sense, you won�t be a successful striker,� said the 43-year-old former captain who retired in 2011 after scoring 40 goals from 104 international matches.
Referring to current captain Sunil Chhetri�s comments that �scoring goals was all about life and death for Bhaichung Bhai,� Bhutia stressed on the importance of �making those runs every time you sense it�.
�Those runs are extremely critical for a striker. I used to keep telling Sunil that you need to anticipate and make runs from where you can score. If you go wide, you have to dribble and get past the defender, and by the time you turn and get past him, others will also rush in to block you,� he said. � PTI
