The Indian men’s football team, on Wednesday, reached Kolkata for its FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Kuwait, in what would be Sunil Chhetri’s last international game, on June 6.
India will now continue its training camp in Kolkata, with the first on-field training session on Thursday, May 30.
The Blue Tigers, in Group A of the second round of World Cup qualifiers had started the round with a 1-0 win over Kuwait, its first win on away soil in over two decades. However, their performance has plummeted since, losing 0-3 to Qatar in Bhubaneswar, followed by a draw and a loss to lower-ranked Afghanistan.
Igor Stimac’s side will need to finish in the top of two after the second round to qualify for the next edition of the AFC Asian Cup and the third round of World Cup qualifiers.
India will now continue its training camp in Kolkata, with the first on-field training session on Thursday, May 30. | Photo Credit: AIFF Media
While the aspirations of qualification will be on the head coach’s mind, the most important part of the game would be the retirement of captain Sunil Chhetri, the highest-ever goalscorer of India, who announced that the match, against Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium, would be his final international fixture.
“Over time, I seemed to have found middle ground. They say, count your blessings. And every single day I get to be on the pitch is a blessing that I’ve never taken for granted,” he wrote on Instagram. “So I’ve decided to count my sessions, but with a deep sense of gratitude. There’s no apprehension. Instead, there’s a feeling of being indebted to the sport, to my team, that I get to do this.
“If I could, I would capture this feeling in a box. Or instead, I’ll take it to my next training session.”
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