Shillong, March 15: It is easier said than done but senior defender Sandesh Jhingan on Saturday said that the Indian football team’s target is to beat Maldives and Bangladesh without conceding any goal in the upcoming international matches here.
India host Maldives in an international friendly on March 19, before taking on a tricky Bangladesh on March 25 in their opening match of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying third round match.
Both the matches will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here as the Meghalaya capital is hosting its first international games.
The match against Maldives will also mark the return of talismanic Sunil Chhetri from international retirement.
“Our main aim is to get the result in the Bangladesh match, as that would give us a good start in the Asian Cup Qualifiers, and I think the 10-day training ahead of that, along with the friendly against Maldives will greatly help us prepare for it,” Jhingan said.
“Our target is two clean sheet victories,” the 31-year-old was quoted as saying in an AIFF release.
The 40-year-old Chhetri had earlier hung his boots in June 2024 after a glorious international career after making his India debut in 2005.
But he showed he is still a force to reckon with as has been seen in the 2024-25 ISL which has turned out to be Chhteri’s most prolific season.He has scored 12 goals from 24 matches to be the second highest scorer overall and highest among Indians.
Head coach Manolo Marquez re-iterated the reasons behind why he coaxed Chhetri to return to wearing India jersey once again.
“Because it was a special situation, I spoke with the AIFF and Bengaluru FC before I called him. I spoke with Sunil and explained to him what I wanted from him,” Marquez said.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s 40. The national team needs players who are in good form,” the Spaniard said.
India are placed in Group C of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying third round along with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, and only the top team qualifies for the continental showpiece.
It’s is not going to be easy to top the group, and Marquez must be referring to that when he said “special situation”.
“Sunil is the Indian top-scorer in the ISL, with practically double goals than the next player, who is Brison. After that are Subhasish, Irfan, Manvir… all of them are here with us in the national team.
“We need players who score goals. In my four matches so far, we have only scored two goals – one of them from a set-piece. At this moment, the most important thing is to get results. Nothing else matters.”
The Indian squad held a 45-minute gym session on Saturday morning and had their first on-pitch training at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the match venue, later in the evening.
Meanwhile, key winger Lallianzuala Chhangte will not report to the national camp here after suffering an injury while with his Indian Super League club Mumbai City FC, the AIFF said.
With the weight of expectations on their shoulders, the Indian football team gears up for a crucial period, where both performance and results will be under the microscope. The return of Sunil Chhetri, coaxed out of international retirement by head coach Manolo Marquez, adds a layer of intrigue and optimism as India looks to assert its dominance in the upcoming fixtures.
While the friendly against Maldives serves as a preparatory test, the real challenge lies in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, where Bangladesh awaits in a high-stakes opener. Jhingan’s assertion of securing two clean-sheet victories underscores the team’s defensive aspirations, but execution will be key. (PTI)
