We must qualify for every Asia Cup, says Sunil Chhetri

Sunil Chhetri is the only Indian player to record an appearance in three AFC Asian Cups

Hyderabad: Sunil Chhetri is the only Indian player to record an appearance in three AFC Asian Cups. From scoring that unforgettable hat-trick way back at the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final, which led India to the 2011 Asian Cup, to now battling for qualification for the 2027 edition in Saudi Arabia, Chhetri’s longevity in the national team is unmatched.

Between 1960 and 2007, India had only qualified for two Asian Cups. And now, as the Blue Tigers aim to script history by making it to three successive Asian Cups for the first time, 40-year-old Chhetri tags it as a ‘bare minimum’ requirement for the nation.

“We should qualify for every Asian Cup, and it’s mandatory. But I don’t want to put pressure on the boys and the team. Let’s take one game at a time. Hong Kong, of course, is going to be very crucial. But yes, for India, it’s a bare minimum to qualify for the Asian Cup, so that we can test ourselves with the best in Asia and keep proving that we are improving,” said Chhetri in a chat with the media in Kolkata after the Indian team’s training session on Sunday.

India were held goalless by Bangladesh on Matchday 1 of the Qualifiers in March, and will next face Hong Kong in Kowloon City on June 10. Before that, Manolo Márquez’s men will play Thailand in a preparatory friendly on June 4 in Pathum Thani.

“The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down,” said Chhetri. “And after I saw the replays, I thought we, as a team, could have done so much more. It was a huge opportunity to take the lead in the table, playing Bangladesh at home,” he said.

“All the boys look good, everyone looks sharp and confident. We also had some video sessions where we had a lot of learning to take on board. Everything looks good,” said Chhetri.

On May 28, the Blue Tigers will travel to Thailand, where they will have a few more training sessions before squaring off against the hosts at the Thammasat Stadium on June 4. The squad will subsequently depart for Hong Kong for their first away match of the qualifiers.

“We saw some clips of Hong Kong. We will watch more of them. But I think, right now in the stage that we are, we are thinking more about ourselves and slowly we’ll progress into what the opponent is and how they play,” Chhetri said.