India starts campaign against a reinforced Bangladesh

Talisman: Chhetri will boost India’s chances.
| Photo Credit: Neeladri Bhattacharjee

The Indian senior men’s football team starts its qualification campaign for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup by taking on Bangladesh in the first outing of the final round Group-C qualifiers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday.

India finds its robust record against Bangladesh (14 wins, 10 draws and four losses) challenged as the visitor announced the arrival of Leicester City midfielder and former England U-21 player Hamza Choudhury, who recently obtained a Bangladesh passport.

Captain Jamal Bhuyan will hope to lead Bangladesh to its first win against India since 2003.

This is juxtaposed against the return of the talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri, who ended his international retirement and joined the Indian side to bolster its attack.

This has definitely heightened the intensity of the contest as the Blue Tigers try to secure their place in the main stage of the Asian Cup proper, for the third time in succession.

Having previously qualified for the Asian Cup main stage in 2019 and 2023, India’s current prospect largely depends on how Chhetri inspires his side to secure the required points and top the group, which also has Hong Kong and Singapore.

India’s preparations have been dampened by injuries to some key players but head coach Manolo Marquez seemed to have managed some good replacements.

With his side set to play six matches (three home and three away), Marquez has reminded his players to treat the third round of the qualifiers as ‘six finals’.

“The first game is always important in a short competition like this where only the top team qualifies for the tournament. There are six games and we need to finish first. We want to get the maximum points possible to qualify for Saudi Arabia,” Marquez said.

“I am feeling confident about my team. We can assume that the problem of scoring goals can be addressed with the return of Sunil, who is a legend in Indian football. We did not have a problem in creating chances but needed someone who could convert them,” Marquez added.

The key man in India’s defence, Sandesh Jhingan, said that the team was focused on getting the result. “One thing we know is that whenever India plays Bangladesh, we expect a match full of high intensity, passion and adrenaline, be it in football or any sport. We are focused on getting the result and we are going into the game with a positive attitude,” Jhingan said.

The Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera said his side had prepared for the match for almost a month and was confident of making things difficult for India. “We are very much motivated. The team has been training and working hard for 24 days already and we expect a very tight game and hopefully, we will make things very difficult for India,” Cabrera said.