BENGFALURU: Two wins and six goals without a reply! It has been smooth sailing for India in the ongoing SAFF Championships here. But the Blue Tigers will face their toughest test of the tournament so far when they face Kuwait in their final group game, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, on Tuesday.
Kuwait is one of the many anomalies that one often comes across in world football. Ranked 143rd in the world, they should ideally belong to a different class than 101st-ranked India. But a history of being repeatedly banned by FIFA — and the consequent exiles from international football — has meant that Kuwait’s rankings are not a reflection of the team’s true capabilities. They were suspended by FIFA on grounds of government interference in 2007, 2008 and 2015, the latter ban lasting two full years.
Maybe a better indicator of where Kuwait stands with respect to India is that the last fixture between these two teams — a friendly in 2010 — saw Kuwait triumph 9-1. While the current team may not match up to their 2010 counterparts, Kuwait comes to SAFF in impressive form nonetheless. In the Arabian Gulf Cup in January, they beat UAE — who had trounced India 6-0 in 2021 — and held Bahrain.
Kuwait’s quality was on display in their 4-0 win against Pakistan as they sliced upon their opponents’ defence with intelligent runs and incisive passes. India’s defenders will have their hands full with the likes of Mobarak Al-Faneeni and Shabaib Al-Khaldi.
With progression to the knockout stages guaranteed, the pressure may be off India. But for Igor Stimac, there is a lot more than that at stake. The Croatian proudly tweeted a graphic showcasing India’s impressive home record over the last couple of years, a day before the game. “Building a blue fortress started in 2019. India’s home record — 12 games, 10 wins, 2 draws. 23 goals scored. 2 goals conceded. All this with the pandemic stopping us from playing in front of our fans. But now let’s show the world the power of our 12th man, you guys!” he tweeted.
While the record itself is no doubt impressive, Kuwait will be as tough as any test Stimac and his boys have faced in that period. The theory that home soil has become a blue fortress will be put to the test.
The defence has held fort in recent games, notwithstanding a few shaky moments against Nepal. It is the attack that will worry Stimac. India may have scored six goals in their last two games but most of those would not have found the back of the net without Sunil Chhetri. It is truly remarkable how Indian football’s problem in 2013 — an overreliance on Chhetri — continues to be Indian football’s problem in 2023. But the fact remains that despite his freakish fitness, the captain will be 39 in a month. A couple of successors should have emerged by now, but despite candidates showing glimpses of potential, there is, as of now, no concrete answer to that ‘who after Chhetri’ question.
The game against Kuwait will be one more chance for someone else to step up against quality opposition. It won’t be a surprise though if it all ends with Chhetri coming to India’s rescue yet again.