With a triple triumph to boot, Sunil Chhetri promises more for Indian football fans Premium

Sunil chhetri says that he does not like to hear things like ‘you should rest this one and that one’, adds that the decision is not his alone, but declares that he is available for every game. Sunil Chhetri is leading India in style, and after scoring a record-extending 92 goals in 142 appearances for his country.

The style may have changed but the goal-scoring prowess hasn’t. At 38, he is still the go-to player for India when it comes to finding the target. He feels he is still the fittest member of the team.

Sunil Chhetri is leading the Blue Tigers in style, and after scoring a record-extending 92 goals in 142 appearances for his country, his ravenous appetite for goals is growing stronger by the day.

Fresh off leading India to a triple triumph — in the Tri-nation tournament, Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championships — Chhetri is already thinking about the upcoming mountains India has to climb in the King’s Cup and the Merdeka Cup, with the coveted Asian Cup next year being the Everest.

With a packed schedule ahead where he would don the blue threads of both Bengaluru FC and India, there is a possibility that featuring in every possible match might be enervating for the Indian captain. But he makes it very clear that he “does not like to miss games” and will feature in every possible outing if he is allowed to.

“People who are more knowledgeable than me — the head coach, the physios and the doctors — if they think that I need to rest, I might listen to them. I take care of myself a lot. If I am sitting out or missing a match because I am not good enough, I will take it,” says Chhetri.

“But I do not like to hear things like you should rest this one and that one. But the decision is not mine [alone]. I am available for every game.”

The Indian captain is not just a goal-hungry individual yearning for match time. Behind the goals, there is an intelligent footballing mind which knows that hunger and motivation cannot be a deterrent to age. Thus, the necessity to adapt becomes imperative.