India’s veteran Sunil Chhetri believes it is unbelievable to reach 150 International caps. Chhetri will play his 150th match for the Blue Tigers when India takes on Afghanistan in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 game at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati on Tuesday.
India recently played a goalless draw against Afghanistan and they will be determined to turn the tables. Chhetri will also look to make his landmark game memorable by finding the back of the net.
Chhetri has been a huge servant for Indian football, scoring 93 international goals. The veteran has been a consistent performer over the years and he is still going strong at the top level.
“When I started, it never occurred to me that I could play for the country one day. In fact, even a few days back, I was not aware that I was on the verge of such a record. When you pause and think about it, it’s an unbelievable feat. I’m very fortunate, extremely thankful, and highly privileged to be in this state. I think I’m the only one to play 150 games for the country in India. I’m really fortunate that I got such an opportunity,” stated Chhetri in the interview.
He added, “When I was playing the Subroto Cup in Delhi, I didn’t even think or dream that I would play for the country.”
Chhetri has scored in his 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th, and 125th match for the national team and the talisman admitted he wasn’t aware of this stat.
“I wasn’t aware of this stat. If you ask any player, they will not be thinking about such stats. Even if they know some stats, the moment the kick-off whistle goes, they will forget about it,” he shared.
On being asked about his most memorable and difficult game so far on the international stage, Chhetri recalled, “For a very strange reason, there was an AFC Challenge Cup after the 2011 AFC Asian Cup that we played in Myanmar. That was the first step towards qualification for the Asian Cup. We played horribly and ended up losing a match that we should not have lost. That was one of the big reasons why we missed out in 2015.”
“I think the Myanmar game, in particular, we didn’t turn up at all. And what was at stake is exactly why I think it was one of the most difficult games. Not because of the opponents, not for any other reason, but we later realised what an opportunity we missed, if we had carried on, we could have played the Asian Cup in 2015,” he continued.
