8 matches in the past 12 months and 9 itself in the month of June 2023. Indian football is having busy days now. After thumping Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup 2023 final, Sunil Chhetri men's next assignment is the SAFF Championship at home. The Blue Tigers are already the most celebrated team in the tournament but these tournaments are geared up for the numerous tournaments coming ahead.
India's win in the Intercontinental Cup will take them back into the top 100 of the FIFA rankings, replacing Lebanon on 99. Coach Igor Stimac also heaped praise on the Indian team for playing their best 45 minutes in the last five decades. After being 0-0 in the final against Lebanon, India broke the deadlock with a super Chhetri goal in the 46th minute, before Lallianzuala Chhangte's effort sealed a 2-0 win for India.
All said these tournaments are just preparations for the team for the bigger coming ahead and none more than the AFC Asian Cup.
Now the SAFF Championship presents another opportunity for India to get prepared for the big tournament. "The inclusion of Lebanon and Kuwait (in the SAFF Championship) is a welcome addition," Chhetri told media last week.
"Lebanon and Kuwait are much similar to Syria, which we’ll be playing in the Asian Cup. So, that will give us a better understanding. We are likely to play UAE (in the King’s Cup in Thailand in September) next and their level will be like Uzbekistan (the other opponent in Asian Cup). We definitely want to win SAFF, but the tougher opponents we get the better it is for us. Everyone in the team is also going to like it as we don’t get to play for the national team very often."
India's preps underway
Indian football will have busy and crucial months coming ahead. After the ongoing SAFF Championship, September, October and November will be seeing multi-nation tournaments coming ahead. The King’s Cup is set to be held in September, and Merdika Cup and World Cup qualifiers are set to be played in October and November, respectively.
Notably, the Asian Cup stands as a big challenge for India. Teams are much stronger there and the Indian coach is wary of the treat. "When you go out there and face Australia and Uzbekistan, you really need to be ready for everything," Stimac said. "The most important time for us is going to be December and the preparation for Asian Cup. All this prior to that, forget it. Are we going to have all the players we worked with here? Who knows who will survive until then?"
