BENGALURU: Sunil Chhetri, 35, is fit as a fiddle. He follows a strict diet and sweets are a big no in his fitness regime. But, he broke that rule a few days ago. Chhetri had a reason — he was celebrating the goalless draw against Qatar in the World Cup qualifiers. And why not? After all, that result came against the continental champions.
After a fever ruled him out, he watched the game from his hotel room. “I was not eating well. But after that result, I had two big pieces of cake and some kheer (rice pudding). I just devoured it. I lost my voice (after all the screaming). I was so happy and proud that I was part of the team and it was a good feeling. It was just one of those days, when everything worked,” Chhetri said, on Friday.
Late in the game, Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez, who now coaches Qatari club, Al Sadd, was biting his nails as India kept the home team at bay. “Xavi has a lot of control on how they play. He is also coaching there. He is a big influence on why Qatar play the Barcelona way. Their coach (Felix Sanchez) is also from Barcelona,” said Chhetri.
Their penchant for conceding late goals has seen the fitness of Indian players often called into question and against Qatar too, they were pushed to the limits. With the hosts dominating, India had to defend in numbers and cover a lot of ground. Chhetri believes that the game has given the team massive belief.
“It (result) has changed everything for us. Now, when we go for the camp, it is going to be a different game altogether. The draw showed what we were capable of. That gives you confidence,” said Chhetri.
Though the spotlight was on the defence against Qatar, the front three of Chhetri, Ashique Kuruniyan and Udanta Singh has shown a lot of promise. With Ashique joining Bengaluru FC recently, the trio will have the chance to play together. But, with heavy competition for starting spots at the club, there is no guarantee that they will always be playing as the front three.
“If this three play here, (Igor) Stimac will love that. That (playing as front three) is a possibility. I love the fact that I play with such fast, young players because they are so dynamic. If I keep playing with Udanta and Ashique, that will help me improve as well.” added Chhetri.
The result was only made possible due to some big saves from goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. “I was not the only player on the pitch, there were 10 more who played their hearts out,” said Gurpreet. “But I was happy and relieved as I wanted a clean sheet.”