The Indian football team`s newly appointed head coach, Khalid Jamil, said that there is no better football player than Sunil Chhetri when it comes to quality, and he will be a part of the national team as long as he makes himself available.
“There is no better quality player in India than him. So, when he is available, why not? We need his experience. He is a legend and he has given so much to the nation for so many years,” said Jamil.
Earlier, Chhetri was sidelined by Jamil for the national camp for the CAFA Nations Cup, starting from August 29. On his omission, the head coach said that it was just a preparatory tournament for the Asian Cup qualifiers matches in October. He made it clear that Chhetri will walk into the national team against Singapore on October 9 (away) and October 14 (home).
The 41-year-old earlier announced his retirement from international football after the match against Kuwait last year. Later, on the request from Manolo Marquez, he made a comeback for India in the match against the Maldives in March this year.
Since then, he has featured in four matches and has scored once, during the 3-0 victory over the Maldives.
India drew Bangladesh 0-0 and lost to Hong Kong 0-1 in the Asian Cup qualifiers, leaving the country in a difficult position to qualify for the continental showpiece in 2027. In between, India lost 0-2 to Thailand in an international friendly. Marquez quit after the string of poor performances from the team.
After sidelining for the CAFA Nations Cup, Jamil said that if Sunil Chhetri wants to play the two Asian Cup qualifying matches, then the management would think about it.
“If he is available for the matches, there is no problem. We will see. If he wants to play, then why not? He has done well last year as well. He has scored goals,” said Jamil.
Placed in Group B of the CAFA Nations Cup, India face co-host Tajikistan on August 29 in Hisor, Iran, on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4. The third-place match and the final will be played on September 8 in Hisor and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), respectively.
(With PTI Inputs)
