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The tag of favourites is perhaps pinned on Australia, however former striker Bhaichung Bhutia insisted that India have the ammunition to shock the world No. 25 Socceroos of their AFC Asian Cup group match in Qatar on Saturday. India are clubbed with title contenders Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria in Group B. “You never know. I will not be surprised if India get a good result tomorrow, I mean we have the team to surprise them. You know, Australia is not the Australia of a decade ago. We also have made progress as a team,” Bhutia instructed PTI on Friday.
“Yes, it will be a tough match, but it is not an impossible task (to get a good result) for this side against them,” mentioned the previous captain, who’s on the town for the Masterclass programme organised by Orchids School.
So, can India attain the Round of 16 within the match? “First thing first, we need to tackle Australia. If we can get a good result against them, who knows,” mentioned Bhutia.
However, Bhutia, who performed greater than 100 matches for the nation between 1995 and 2011, mentioned absence of some key gamers like Ashique Kuruniyan, Jeakson Singh and Anwar Ali might simply peg again the India aspect a bit.
Defender Ali, midfielder Jeakson and winger Kuruniyan are recovering from their respective accidents and haven’t travelled with the crew.
“Yes, it could be a little bit of a priority as a result of these are skilled gamers. I feel the absence of Kuruniyan will particularly harm India. He is a robust and versatile participant, who has the pace and talent.
“He is a constant threat to the opposition. But that said we have other good players who can make an impact,” Bhutia added.
As ever, India will rely upon their talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri to seek out the objectives in opposition to some robust rivals within the occasion.
Bhutia admitted there could possibly be a case of over-reliance however added that proper now Chhetri is India’s finest wager to web objectives.
“He (Chhetri) is an excellent participant. The want of the hour is to attain objectives and it’s soothing to know that we’ve got a reliable participant in that division. Every crew wants somebody to get these essential strikes.
“Hopefully, we can provide some good assists to him and I am sure there will be a couple of chances to find the back of the net,” mentioned the ‘Sikkimese Sniper’.
“Yeah, he is getting old and, perhaps, we will have to unearth a couple of more Chhetris very soon,” he mentioned with a smile.
The 47-year-old lauded head coach Igor Stimac for maintaining India a combat-ready outfit.
“He (Stimac) has proved to be a very good coach. India had accomplished properly within the final couple of tournaments beneath him. He is aware of the best way to hold the gamers in excessive spirits throughout a match.
“I think we’ve had a good amount of preparation for this tournament despite those injuries that you were mentioning, and it’s now all about the right execution,” Bhutia opined.
Bhutia, a member of the sports activities ministry’s Mission Olympic Cell, mentioned India’s sturdy effort within the Hangzhou Asian Games could have its reflection on the nation’s outing within the Paris Games later this yr.
“We are hoping to raised our Tokyo (Olympics) medal tally in Paris. I feel the dedication the sports activities ministry has proven to this mission Olympic programme…we have given help of each potential nature to the athletes.
“So, we definitely are expecting good results from Paris. Neeraj (Chopra) had given us gold in javelin, and who knows there could be a couple of more (gold medals). So, fingers crossed,” he concluded.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
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