Ahead of the 2023 Asian Cup tournament, India has been clubbed with lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong (147), Afghanistan (150), and Cambodia (171). Football experts are considering 106 ranked India team to qualify from Group D. Weighing into the matter, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh has said that apart from all the wins and losses, even the draws in modern-day football are tricky and can play a crucial factor as far as qualifications are concerned. He further stated that the lower ranked teams also prepare well in advance and do their homework when it comes to tournaments as big as this.
The Indian team is all set to kickstart their campaign against Cambodia followed by Afghanistan on June 11 and Hong Kong on June 14. Gurpreet further said that "We can't take anyone lightly, not at this stage because the stakes are high. Even as much as we need to respect the teams we play, we need to be ruthless in our approach". A total of eleven spots are to be occupied after the third and final round of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers. The quality and the intensity of the competition is expected to be intense as there are a total of 24 teams who have been split into six different groups. As the format of the contest goes, six group toppers along with the five best runners-up are expected to qualify. Making his team's intentions clear Gurpreet further added that "We need to make sure we go out there to get the result. I believe we should be the one team that earns a ticket to the AFC Asian Cup 2023 from this group".
As far as the previous records go, India faced elimination in the 2019 Asia Cup under the leadership of Sunil Chhetry. But a fresh tournament comes with fresh hopes and India will have to shed all their baggage of previous failures and will have to play out of their skin to turn the tables around. While reminiscing the fond memories of their 4-1 win over Thailand, Gurpreet says the idea is not to get carried away and to respect the opposition.
(Inputs from PTI)
