Former Zimbabwe international defender Costa Nhamoinesu has been appointed the captain of Kerala Blasters, just a month after signing for the Indian Premier Super League side.

The 34-year-old former Sparta Prague defender joined Blasters after leaving the Czech giants and will become the first Zimbabwean to feature in the the Indian top-flight.

Speaking ahead of Friday’s season opener against ATK Mohun, in which he will wear the captain’s armband, the dreadlocked defender said: “In football, we always need time for everything. We need time to create the right combinations, to create that chemistry. It is a normal occurrence in football. But this season, football has already changed. There is a short pre-season, a short recovery period, football has changed. We are looking at it differently.”

“Of course, it is better to have a longer pre-season with more time. With foreign players, the team needs more time, not just physically but tactically. We will be better in one month I am sure of that. But we are 100 percent the best we can be now,” he added.