Chhetri is not there as team playing a preparatory tournament, doors are open for him: Jamil

Bengaluru: Newly-appointed India head coach Khalid Jamil on Sunday cleared the air about the leaving out of talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri from the CAFA Nations Cup national camp, saying it was just a preparatory tournament for the crucial Asian Cup qualifying round matches in October.

Jamil, who succeeded Manolo Marquez as India head coach earlier this month, on Friday named 35 probables for the upcoming CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Chhetri missing from the list.

Jamil did not say in so many words but made it clear that Chhetri is expected to walk into the national team for the Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore on October 9 (away) and October 14 (home).

“He (Chhetri) is not there in this camp because we are playing a tournament which will essentially serve as a preparation for our Asian Cup Qualifiers,” Jamil said on the second day of the national camp here.

“I also want to try out a few other players during this FIFA window. I had a talk with him about the same. It’s always a pleasure to have a player like him in the team, and the door is always open for him.

“Sunil is a legend of Indian football. I have played against him, I’ve seen him play on numerous occasions, and he is one of my favourite players. He is a role model for Indian football," he said in a release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Placed in Group B of the CAFA Nations Cup, India face co-host Tajikistan on August 29, Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4. The third-place match and the final will be played on September 8 in Hisor and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), respectively.

The national camp began on Saturday featuring 22 players while the remaining 13, who were doing club duties at the ongoing Durand Cup, are likely to join in a few days. The AIFF has urged all the clubs to release national team players for the tournament.

The 41-year-old Chhetri took international retirement after playing against Kuwait in June last year but made a return for national duty in the match against Maldives in March this year following a request from Marquez to help the team in the Asian Cup qualifiers third round.

Chhetri has played four matches since then and scored once -- in the 3-0 win over Maldives.

India drew Bangladesh 0-0 and lost to Hong Kong 0-1 in the Asian Cup qualifiers, leaving the country in a difficult position to qualify for the continental showpiece in 2027.

In between India lost 0-2 to Thailand in an international friendly. Marquez quit after the string of poor performance of the team.

'CAFA Nations Cup good opportunity to play against quality opponents'

The CAFA Nations Cup will be 48-year-old Jamil's first international assignment, and Jamil said the central Asian tournament will be a good opportunity for his team to play against quality opponents.

"This will be India’s first-ever participation in the CAFA Nations Cup, and it will be a good opportunity for us to play against stronger and quality opponents like Tajikistan and Iran in CAFA Nations Cup. This will definitely be beneficial for us to prepare for AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.

"There is absolutely no excuse for us, as we have enough time to prepare for it. We may be treating these as preparatory games, but this is serious business for us," he said.

Tasked with turning the Blue Tigers’ fortunes around, Jamil wants to take one step at a time.

“We must do the simple things first and go step by step. We are treating these matches as friendly games, but I want to take players who are fit. When I say fit, I mean, the players who will play must be 100 per cent fit,” said Jamil.

“We started the camp with some players still not available, but we’ve got the players we need to begin our preparations. We had a good first training session yesterday (Saturday), but there’s a lot to improve on.

"The important thing is that we remain united as a team. For the national interest, we would like to request co-operation from clubs to release players on time, to ensure their adequate participation during the preparatory camp," he added.

The former Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United coach said he needs time to adjust to the team.

"The players also need time to adjust to me. My doors are always open to everybody. Whoever is doing well will be selected.” On his appointment as India head coach, Jamil said, “It is my pleasure to serve the country. It has always been my dream to do this, and it has now come true, so that feels very good.

"There is a big task ahead of us, and we’ve got many areas that we need to work on. I am fully aware how big a responsibility it is for me, but I feel thankful that the Federation (AIFF) felt me worthy to be entrusted with it.”