Chhetri out, Gurpreet in as Jamil names 23-member squad for CAFA Nations Cup
Jamil named the squad after the national camp held in Bengaluru, attended by 29 players.
Jamil named the squad after the national camp held in Bengaluru, attended by 29 players.
With Bengaluru FC taking on a massive challenge of defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the final on Saturday, former India captain Sunil Chhetri has put out a message to their fans. He thanked the fans who he said brought them this far ahead of their clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK).
Over the last 19 years, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with so many of you, on more than a few occasions.
Sunil Chhetri has been the face of Indian football on the global stage for nearly two decades and as he gets ready to hang his boots, Indian head coach Igor Stimac has expressed his respect for his decision to retire and showered praise on what he has done for Indian football for the last so many years.
On Thursday, Chhetri took to social media, announcing his decision to bid adieu to the Indian football team following a stunning career of representing Blue Tigers for 19 years.
Playing his 127th match, the 37-year-old Chhetri got his 81st international goal by scoring a 14th-minute penalty. However, he missed a couple of chances in the box, but managed to score his second goal of the match when he nodded home a Brandon Fernandes cross to secure the win for India.
India take on Cambodia in their first Group D match of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup third-round qualifiers on Wednesday, followed by Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
The first half also saw Nepal cause danger to the Indian goal on a couple of occasions
"I love this club, the supporters and the city, all three of which I have a strong bond with, and I'm looking forward to being part of many more great moments with them."
While India are out of contention in the race for the 2022 World Cup, their focus is on the Asian Cup 2023, where they have a chance to qualify, with another game against Afghanistan coming up on June 15 in Doha.
