India football captain Chhetri says Asian Cup key to development
Mumbai:
Chhetri will be hoping to lead
India, who have only reached the finals on three previous occasions, have been drawn alongside Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Macau in Group A of the last round of qualifiers, with the top two teams advancing to the expanded tournament.
The Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) decision to increase the number of finalists from 16 to 24 has given the country a better chance of qualifying and Chhetri believes it is an opportunity
"To be honest, we should be playing at the Asian Cup every time. That's the parameter we need to use to judge if we are doing well or not," Chhetri said in an interview.
"We have to keep playing in the Asian Cup which will mean rubbing shoulders with the best in the region. You know the quality you are playing against and then you know how much you have improved."
Cricket-loving India may have a population of 1.3 billion but the country is a massive under-achiever as far as football is concerned, with the national side 130th in the FIFA rankings and yet to make a single appearance at the World Cup finals.
A quick glance at India's group opponents shows that Kyrgyzstan are ranked six places above them, Myanmar are 159th and Macau are a further 25 places adrift, yet Chhetri is refusing to read too much into those numbers.
"As far as our hopes are concerned, I have played enough to understand that you cannot think about the chances yet,"
"The way the rankings work is if you do well in the last six-to-eight months, your ranking can rise to an extent that you can't even imagine," he added.
"That's why when I face teams in
Stable squad
In the past,
"If you ask me, I would love to have a stable 11 or a stable 14," the 32-year-old said. "It's a personal thing. If the team keeps changing then everything has to keep changing.
"But we will only have a stable 11 if the players take their chances and make the spots their own."
Chhetri is also an advocate of leading by example on the pitch as the best lesson a captain can give his team mates to earn their respect and develop bonds.
"I have been a youngster and I know speeches are boring," Chhetri said, adding that the first thing he does after learning
"If I do the right things on and off the field that's how a player is going to learn.
"I was also a junior and I know how you learn from seniors, that's how you follow. Speeches don't work."