KOLKATA: “I am honoured and privileged. After this, let’s not make tomorrow (Tuesday) about this, and only about India versus Afghanistan,” skipper Sunil Chhetri said at the beginning of the press conference in Guwahati on Monday.
However, it is difficult for anyone associated with or with interest in Indian football to overlook the feat that the 39-year-old is set to achieve when India take on Afghanistan in the return leg of the Fifa World Cup 2026 Qualifier at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Tuesday.
Chhteri is expected to be the first Indian to play his 150th international match for the Blue Tigers. To put it into perspective, only 40 players in the world have been able to reach the milestone.
While AIFF has planned a felicitation for the Indian skipper ahead of the crucial game, the fans would love nothing more than to see their captain mark the occasion by hitting the back of the net, as Chhetri had done in a 2-1 win when the teams last met in India in an AFC Asian Cup Qualifier in Kolkata two years ago. Or as he had done in the last game India played at the Guwahati venue – a 2-1 defeat to Oman in a World Cup qualifier almost five years back.
India lie second in the group behind two-time reigning Asian champions Qatar after being held to a goalless draw by a depleted Afghanistan in the away leg in Saudi Arabia last week. Chhetri and Co. realise the importance of a victory on Tuesday, which will make a draw against third-placed Kuwait at home in June enough for a historic passage into the third round of the qualifiers.
And coach Igor Stimac is aware of the significance of taking his 117th-ranked team that far for the first time, so much so that the former Croat international seems ready to pay the ultimate price should he fail.
“If I don’t take India to the third round of the qualifiers, I will leave my position to someone else,” Stimac, whose contract was extended to 2026 ahead of the Asian Cup, announced at the interaction.
However, he also stressed the role of individual players in making his dream come true, especially in the final third, where India’s woes were glaring in the last game despite Stimac using all of his attacking ammunition. Vikram Partap Singh received his international debut, with Chhetri, Manvir Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte all featuring in the starting 11 before Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh and Brandon Fernandes were sent on later in search of a goal.
With Sahal Abdul Samad, who scored the winner in Kolkata in 2022, set to miss the home leg too, India will hope that one or more of the available attackers will be able to find a breakthrough against the Zohib Islam Amiri-led Afghans and end a five-game goalscoring drought. But the experienced Amiri — expected to play his last match for his side – and Ashley Westwood — with his years of experience coaching Chhetri and Bengaluru FC – will again be out to complicate India’s task despite them again missing all but three of their first-team players due to a protest against their association.
While Stimac admitted that “the good thing from the last game was the cleansheet”, he will expect Anwar Ali and Jeakson Singh to rediscover their form in creating moves from behind.
With fans in the football-crazy region expected to fill up the venue on Tuesday evening for Chhetri’s 150th game, it will be the perfect occasion for Stimac’s side to register their first win of 2024 and make it a memorable 90 minutes for everyone.
