•The blooming defender was thrown in the deep end when Stars hosted the Chipolopolo last week at the Nyayo Stadium, earning a rare start ahead of the experienced duo of Samuel Olwande and Philemon Otieno.
•In the meantime, the Gituru High School alumnus says he was impressed with his performance and lauded his teammates for enabling him to shed off stage fright.
After making his Harambee Stars'debut last week against Zambia, KCB right-back Baraka Badi says the experience gained from the match has boosted his confidence levels ahead of the new season.
The blooming defender was thrown at the deep end when Stars hosted the Chipolopolo last week at the Nyayo National Stadium, earning a rare start ahead of the experienced duo of Samuel Olwande and Philemon Otieno.
The former national U-20 Rising Stars defender revealed that he picked invaluable lessons from the match, which ended 2-1 in favour of Stars and was keen to implement in the league to enrich his profile.
Badi noted that the match helped the local-based players improve on their fitness levels having stayed out of action since April, thanks to the health threat posed by coronavirus.
"Playing in the national team and against an opponent who is ranked higher than us in the Fifa standings comes with a host of lessons and boosts one's confidence. I gained a lot from the match and the training camp and I am already looking forward to the new season. The match helped me improve on my fitness and I also learnt a few tactics which I want to implement in the league and in the national team should I be recalled," he said.
In the meantime, the Gituru High School alumnus says he was impressed with his performance and lauded his teammates for enabling him to shed off stage fright.
The former Thika United player, who strongly believes that coach Francis Kimanzi will consider him for next month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier double against Comoros, said he is no longer afraid of the playing competition in the full back right roles.
" I believe I gave a good account of myself and hopefully, the coach will summon me for the qualifiers. I now understand what it means to put on the national team shirt at the senior level and the demands that come along with it. At first, I was nervous but my teammates helped me settle into the match. I know the position has a lot of competition but I believe that I will keep it going forward courtesy of the good game which I had," he added.