India captain Sunil Chhetri on Saturday said that he is "fossilized" and the country may not find his exact replacement.
National coach Stephen Constantine announced a list of 28 probables on Thursday for India's forthcoming 2018 World Cup preliminary joint qualification match against Iran.
Star striker Sunil Chhetri is among a 28-strong Indian probable squad announced for the 2018 soccer World Cup preliminary qualifying round matches against Iran and Turkmenistan.
Playing with ten debutants, India came back strongly in the second half to eke out a draw in their first international game since the COVID-19 lockdown last March.
India's football coach Stephen Constantine announced his preliminary squad of 38 probables for India's forthcoming back to back 2018 World Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification matches against Oman and Guam respectively.
Influential skipper Sunil Chhetri has been ruled out of India's World Cup qualifier against Iran owing to a groin injury, dealing a body blow to the beleaguered outfit's prospects of putting up a fight. The match for Russia 2018 World Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 is slated to be played in Tehran on Thursday. A 22-member team on Monday left for the forthcoming game. Six players from the list of 28 probables, including injured striker Chhetri, didn't travel with the squad. "We had to take some bold decisions and we have to travel to Tehran without our influential captain Sunil Chhetri," national coach Stephen Constantine said. "He will be badly missed." Chhetri has been ruled out following a groin injury which he had picked up in the I-League.
India thrashed Nepal 4-1 at the Trivandrum International Stadium, in Kerala, on Sunday, to finish on top of Group A and seal a place in the semi-finals.
NorthEast United FC returned to the top of the Indian Super League table with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over FC Pune City at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Wednesday. In a match that saw fortunes fluctuating and both teams being reduced to 10 men, NorthEast United scored the winner through Emiliano Alfaro in the 79th minute.
The Indian football team's 13-match unbeaten run ended as it lost 1-2 to an attacking Kyrgyzstan
A draw against Bahrain in their final group league match will be enough for India to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in the continent's showpiece event after failed attempts in 1984 and 2011.
But how much has the national team actually improved?
Churchill Brothers paid dearly for a missed penalty in the first half as Mumbai FC struck twice in the second half to score their first win in the third round of the Airtel I-League in Mapusa on Saturday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances