Newly appointed India head coach Khalid Jamil on Sunday cleared the air about the leaving out of star striker Sunil Chhetri from the Cafa Nations Cup national camp, saying it was just a preparatory tournament for the crucial 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round matches in October.

Khalid, who succeeded Manolo Marquez as India coach earlier this month, on Friday named 35 probables for the upcoming Cafa Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Chhetri missing from the list.

Khalid did not say in so many words, but made it clear that Chhetri is expected to walk into the national team for the Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore on October 9 (away) and October 14 (home).

“He (Chhetri) is not there in this camp because we are playing a tournament which will essentially serve as a preparation for our Asian Cup Qualifiers,” Khalid said on the second day of the national camp here.

“I also want to try out a few other players during this Fifa window. I had a talk with him about the same. It’s always a pleasure to have a player like him in the team, and the door is always open for him.

“Sunil is a legend of Indian football. I have played against him, I’ve seen him play on numerous occasions, and he is one of my favourite players. He is a role model for Indian football,” he said in an All India Football Federation (AIFF) media release.

Placed in Group B of the Cafa Nations Cup, India face co-hosts Tajikistan on August 29, Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4. The third-place match and the final will be played on September 8 in Hisor and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), respectively.

The national camp began on Saturday, featuring 22 players while the remaining 13, who were doing club duties at the ongoing Durand Cup, are likely to join in a few days.

The 41-year-old Chhetri took international retirement in June last year, but made a return in the match against Maldives in March to help the team in the Asian Cup qualifiers third round.

India drew Bangladesh 0-0 and lost to Hong Kong 0-1 in the Asian Cup qualifiers, leaving the country in a difficult position to qualify for the continental showpiece in 2027.

The Cafa Nations Cup will be 48-year-old Khalid’s first international assignment.

“This will be India’s first-ever participation in the tournament, and it will be a good opportunity for us to play against stronger opponents like Tajikistan and Iran. This will help us to prepare for AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.”

Tasked with turning the Blue Tigers’ fortunes around, Khalid wants to take one step at a time. “We must go step by step. We are treating these matches as friendies, but I want to take players who are fit. When I say fit, I mean, the players who will play must be 100 per cent fit.

“The important thing is that we remain united as a team. For the national interest, we would like to request co-operation from clubs to release players on time,” he added.