With India scheduled to play a series of blockbuster international football friendlies against global giants Brazil (October 3), Uruguay (October 6), and Panama (September 25), the onus is on strength and conditioning coach Manuel D’Souza to deliver a super-fit squad for head coach Khalid Jamil to work with.

And D’Souza, 36, is relishing the test. “This is my biggest challenge ever. I have to make sure the boys are more than 100 per cent fit. I have to give coach Khalid a super-fit team. I need to make sure the team is on the same page [in terms of their fitness] for the coach to execute his plans,” Bandra resident D’Souza told mid-day on Tuesday.