India’s World Cup qualifying campaign has been “hot and cold,” Sunil Chhetri said
India’s world Cup captain Sunil Chhetri said the team’s campaign in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers was ” hot and cold.” India has won one and drawn three of the seven matches in this competition, which also doubles as a qualifier for the 2023 Asian Cup.
“Very hot and cold campaign in these qualifiers, and no one else to blame for the cold part than us players,” Chhetri told Sports Today on Wednesday.
India managed to hold Asian champions Qatar to a 0-0 draw away from home but also failed to secure wins against lower ranked opposition like Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
“How do you clarify a performance like what we did till the 82nd minute against Oman and in the Qatar game, against what we did against Bangladesh at the Salt Lake Stadium. How do you answer that? Just not turning up and doing what we should have done. It is not nice or welcome. The bare minimum is to turn up and fight,” said Chhetri.
India were held to a 1-1 draw by Bangladesh at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in October 2019 after which they had another 1-1 draw against Afghanistan away from home in November. In the qualification matches that were held this month, India suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Qatar despite going down to 10 men before beating Bangladesh 2-0.
“What we did against Qatar was not easy to the eye, we couldn’t pass properly. It wasn’t easy to defend against them with 10 men. The one goal they scored came from a scuffle. So when you work really hard, football games are like that. Regardless of whether you are playing against Qatar or Bangladesh, turn up and fight, then at least you sleep well,” said Chhetri.
“None of us slept well after the Salt Lake fiasco happened. We should have won that game, especially when Kolkata gives us 50,000 people, at least we have to give them a hard-working performance. Same happened against Afghanistan away. That is what I tell the boys, a country like us who are always trying to improve, you have to turn up every day,” he said.
