Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Sunil Chhetri is the only Indian player to record an appearance in three AFC Asian Cups. The path to reach Asia’s showpiece event is always a gruelling one. From scoring that unforgettable hat-trick way back in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final, which led India to the 2011 Asian Cup, to now battling for qualification for the 2027 edition in Saudi Arabia, Chhetri’s longevity in the national team is unmatched.

As the Blue Tigers aim to script history by making it to three successive Asian Cups for the first time, Chhetri tags it as a ‘bare minimum’ requirement for the nation. But it’s a year-long journey of qualification, and his team must take things ‘game by game’.

“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 were held goalless by Bangladesh on Matchday 1 of the Qualifiers in March, and will next face Hong Kong in Kowloon City on June 10. Before that, Manolo Márquez’s men will play Thailand in a preparatory friendly on June 4 in Pathum Thani.

“The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down, 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,” he added.

–IANS

aaa/bsk/