- By Manik Sharma
- Tue, 09 Jan 2024 08:01 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
AFC Asian Cup 2023: As the AFC Asian Cup 2023 approaches, the Indian football team is gearing up for their fifth appearance in the prestigious tournament. Set to take place in Qatar from January 12 to February 10, 2024, the upcoming edition will prove to be an ultimate challenge for the Men in Blue
Drawn into Group B alongside formidable opponents Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria, Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri acknowledged the superior quality of the world-class teams. Chhetri views the tournament as an opportunity to gauge India's standing in the continental circuit.
“It's a massive tournament for us, purely because we get to rub shoulders with the best in Asia. Teams like Australia and Uzbekistan are probably of the World Cup level, so you can test yourself against them,” PTI quoted Chhetri as saying.
“What is sure is that we have improved in the last seven-eight years. But then you play them and you see how far you are, and how the tempo of the game is. It's just important to play your best, and generally it's a good marker for the nation to test where we are," he added.
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The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-place sides across six groups, will advance to the knockout stage.
In the Asian World Cup Qualifiers held in Bhubaneswar back in November, India encountered a formidable Qatar side. Despite conceding the game 3-0, Sunil Chhetri identified several positive aspects from the match.
"The way we played against Qatar, one of the things that we understood as a nation is we are improving. We have an idea, a lot of players are improving and collectively, we are not scared. We know where we stand, we are very humble,” RevSportz quoted Chhetri as saying.
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Despite clinching victories in the SAFF Championships and the Intercontinental Cup, the 39-year-old forward emphasised that solely competing against SAFF nations won't propel them forward.
"Without disrespecting the SAFF Cup, we have won it. But where we want to reach, we will not reach if we keep playing SAFF nations,” Chhetri said.
“You play Qatar, UAE, Palestine, and Lebanon, which is from 10 to 14 to 8 (rank), and then you start punching above your weight and start getting a game against Australia, Japan, and South Korea," the veteran striker added.
Chhetri has played 145 matches for India and has scored a record 93 goals. India will play Australia on January 13, followed by Uzbekistan on January 18 and their final group match will be against Syria on January 23.