Sunil Chhetri Urges Focus As India Eye Third Straight Asian Cup Appearance, Wants To Rectify Past Mistakes

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Sunil Chhetri stands alone in Indian football history as the only player to have featured in three editions of the AFC Asian Cup. Now, at 40, the iconic striker is pushing to lead India to a fourth, as the team begins its qualification campaign for the 2027 tournament set to be held in Saudi Arabia.

From his memorable hat-trick in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final-an effort that brought India back to the Asian Cup stage after nearly three decades-to still donning the captain's armband today, Chhetri's journey with the national team has become the benchmark for longevity and consistency.

India's record in the competition before Chhetri's influence was sparse, with only two appearances between 1960 and 2007. The last two editions, however, saw the Blue Tigers book their spot consecutively - a shift in fortunes that Chhetri insists must become the new standard.

"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," said Chhetri.

India began their qualification journey with a goalless draw against Bangladesh in March - a result that felt like a missed opportunity, particularly as it came on home soil.

"The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down," Chhetri admitted. "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."

India's next qualifier is against Hong Kong in Kowloon City on June 10. Before that, the squad will face Thailand in a friendly on June 4 in Pathum Thani, a crucial tune-up fixture as part of their preparations. The national camp began in Kolkata on May 19, and early signs have been encouraging.

"The first five days have been more about the physical aspect of the game. As the coach mentioned, many players have come in at different physical stages. To bring everyone on the same page for the first few days was quite intense," Chhetri said.

"All the boys look good, everyone looks sharp and confident. We also had some video sessions where we had a lot of learnings to take on board. Everything looks good."

Over the years, Chhetri has played a decisive role in India's qualification runs. His 2008 hat-trick against Tajikistan secured India a spot in the 2011 Asian Cup. In the lead-up to the 2019 edition, he delivered a late winner against Myanmar and fired in a wonder goal against Kyrgyz Republic. In the 2022 qualifiers, he scored a brilliant free-kick against Afghanistan and a brace versus Cambodia, reinforcing his status as India's talisman.

Despite the rocky start to the 2027 qualifiers, Chhetri remains grounded and focused on the task ahead. The Blue Tigers will travel to Thailand on May 28, continuing preparations before flying to Hong Kong for their first away qualifier.

With experience comes clarity, and for Chhetri, the message is simple: show up and deliver.

"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. And all the preparation, the technical aspect put aside, you have to go and show up. You just have to go and give whatever you have.

"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 concluded.

With Chhetri still leading the charge, India's road to the 2027 Asian Cup may be challenging - but certainly not unfamiliar.