Buoyed by the enthusiastic spectators who braved heavy rain and thunderstorms to see the Blue Tigers in action, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri has now expressed his desire to play the Asian Cup on home soil.
Chhetri said after India secured a second consecutive qualification to the Asian Cup for the first time in history:
India defeated Cambodia and Afghanistan before claiming a convincing win over Hong Kong. All matches were played at the Salt Lake Stadium, where India were playing at home for the first time in more than two years.
Chhetri, who scored the second goal of the night, praised the rise of youngsters in the national team over the course of the three-match campaign. Anwar Ali, Manvir Singh, and Ishan Pandita netted the remaining three goals. He said:
Chhetri continued:
Chhetri is set to play in his third Asian Cup finals, having previously featured in the tournament in 2011 and 2019. Despite being 37 years old, the forward feels he is at his peak now. The Bengaluru FC skipper, who has scored four times in his last three international outings, stated:
With his goal against Hong Kong, Chhetri equalled Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas’ tally of 84 international goals. He’s currently placed joint-fifth in the list of all-time international goal scorers. Staying true to his philosophy of ‘service before self’, he revealed that he doesn’t chase individual milestones:
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