Veteran forward Sunil Chhetri has urged the Indian national team to regroup and deliver a stronger performance in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

After a frustrating start to their campaign, the Blue Tigers are determined to bounce back and stay on course for what could be a historic qualification.

India are eyeing a place in the AFC Asian Cup for the sixth time overall and the third consecutive edition — a milestone the country has never achieved before.

However, their journey began on a disappointing note, as they were held to a goalless draw at home by Bangladesh. With valuable points dropped early, the pressure is now on to recover in the matches ahead.

"The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down," Chhetri said in an interview with the-aiff.com.

"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. We should have done so many things better. Ending up with just a point, I think we players have no one else but ourselves to blame. We didn't turn up the way we should have. And that is the reason why we drew the game. We've talked about it, we've seen the videos, and we can't wait to rectify it,” he added.

The team, led by head coach Manolo Marquez, will next face Hong Kong in Kowloon City on June 10 in their second group-stage clash. Before that, they’ll take on Thailand in a friendly on June 4 in Pathum Thani, a key part of their preparation.

Chhetri — the only Indian player to have appeared in three AFC Asian Cups — emphasised the importance of qualifying for Asia’s showpiece event in every edition. He spoke about what it means for the players and how it helps the team compete among the continent’s elite.

"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," stated Chhetri.

With the club season now wrapped up, Marquez has had a valuable window to work with his players in an ongoing training camp in Kolkata.

The extended time together could prove vital as the team looks to iron out flaws and build cohesion. Chhetri believes that the additional preparation time must be used wisely.

"The coach has got a bit of time to formulate a plan. We players have to make sure that we take everything on board and be in sync as to what the plan is, and go and try and execute it to the best of our ability. But more importantly, the mistake we made against Bangladesh was that we didn't turn up.

"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," he commented.

Related tags:

2024-2025 Sunil Chhetri