Indian men’s football team head coach Manolo Marquez sprang a surprise when he named retired 40-year-old captain Sunil Chhetri in the squad for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
India return to action in this month’s international window with a friendly against Maldives (March 19) before facing Bangladesh (March 25) in the first game of the third round of Qualifiers.
Chhetri announced his retirement from international football in June last year, but has agreed to make a comeback as India are struggling without him.
“We are in a competition that we need to win and we need to score goals. Be it in open play or through set-pieces. In the four games under me, we have scored two goals and we need to score (more),” Marquez, 56, who also is the head coach of FC Goa said at the news conference after Saturday’s ISL-XI match against Mohun BaganSuper Giant.
“If you look at the ISL, then Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC, 12 goals) is the top Indian goalscorer followed by Brison Fernandes (FC Goa, seven) and Subhasish Bose (Mohun Bagan, six). This is the national team and we need players who can immediately play well,” he added.
Another selection that raised eyebrows was that of Bagan’s Ashique Kuruniyan. The 27-year-old has played just 346 minutes this season.
“I know that Ashique can’t play 90 minutes. But in the minutes that he plays, he is a player who can change the game.”