The Indian men’s national team — the second-lowest ranked side in the tournament — is set to play for the third place at the CAFA Nations Cup when it takes on Oman on Monday at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor.
Having played three matches, India has won one (Tajikistan), lost one (IR Iran), and drawn one (Afghanistan), knocking out Tajikistan and Afghanistan on the way. Blue Tigers head coach Khalid Jamil, at the pre-match press conference, exuded the positivity that surrounds the team at the moment.
India will be without the injured centre-back Sandesh Jhingan, who suffered a fractured cheekbone during the 0-3 defeat to Iran.
“All our players are fine, and are all positive after these results. We must continue this positivity into the next game. I have a good feeling that we could get a positive result,” said Jamil. “We felt from the very start that we could do something good here, and I must say that it is the belief and hard work of the players that have brought us the the CAFA Nations Cup Play-off stage.
“The commitment that the players showed was amazing – be it seniors or juniors, everyone contributed. The way they adapted to the conditions was commendable. I never felt like we were here to just participate – we came with a purpose, and the feeling was always positive,” he said.
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While Jamil has surrounded the Blue Tigers camp with an air of positivity, the India head coach is wary of the potential threat that 79th-ranked Oman possesses; India is 133rd in the FIFA rankings.
“Oman is a very good team. It has a good coach (Carlos Queiroz), quality players, and it’s done well in its group. It will definitely not be easy, and we’ll have to fight for everything. But we are ready for it,” he said.
India has faced Oman on 10 occasions and the Blue Tigers are yet to win a match against the latter. The Reds have won seven of these matches, while three have ended in draws.
Despite the past record, Jamil is looking for a win. He said, “First and foremost, we must get a result – that’s the most important thing.”
Published on Sep 07, 2025
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com