It has been a long month for the Indian men’s national football team. They’ve played eight matches so far, and have one more left to go. Since June 9, the team, led by skipper Sunil Chhetri, has already won one title, beating Lebanon in the final of the Intercontinental Cup. On Tuesday, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, they look to win a second title when they face Kuwait in 2023 SAFF Championship final.
These two tournaments, while not high up in prestige or calibre, are proving important to test the mettle and dynamics of the Indian team as they steadily prepare for the upcoming challenges in the build up to the AFC Asian Cup next January.
During the press conference ahead of the Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneshwar, Chhetri and head coach Igor Stimac were of the same opinion – a predicted nine games within the space of 30 days was a very good thing for a team that had only played eight matches in the previous 12 months.
From a national camp in Bhubaneshwar to the Intercontinental Cup in the same city and now the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru, the team has been in sync throughout this last month. For Sandesh Jhingan, one of…
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