Youngsters should raise India’s bar, says Chhetri

New Delhi

Chhetri explained that if a batch performs well, it sets an example for the juniors, who will then strive to do better than their seniors. He added that the entire process will help the team consistently raise the bar. “At this stage in Indian football, you want the national team to push for the top-10 spots in Asia. For that to happen, it is very important for these youngsters to come through the ranks and produce the results in the senior team,” Chhetri said during a live chat with AIFF TV.

The India U-16 team has been handed a tough draw in the AFC U-16 Championships. The Bibiano Fernandes-coached side has been clubbed with heavyweights such as Korea Republic, Australia and Uzbekistan in Group C. This is India’s third successive qualification into the AFC U-16 Championships and ninth overall.

The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals and the four semi-finalists will earn a ticket to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2021. Talking about the team, Chhetri said, “I am already a big fan of the U-16s and the Indian Arrows, especially the U-16 side under Bibiano. It looks like a really good unit.

“It has played some really good football and it is all about continuing the push to improve with every step. These boys would want to do better than the previous batch (that clocked a quarter-final finish in the 2018 AFC U-16 Championships).

“When this batch produces such a good result, it puts the onus on the guys who are currently in the U-14s to prepare even better, because they would want to better the feat achieved by these guys. You constantly want to push the bar higher.”

The 35-year-old, who has the most international caps in Indian football, went on to cite the example of the batch that played the FIFA U-17 World Cup at home in 2017. While the players from the team are still relatively young, Chhetri felt that they already have loads of confidence, having played some top opponents.

“You should look at the confidence that players like Amarjit (Singh), Suresh (Wangjam) and Narender (Gahlot) have, even though they are some of the youngest players in the senior team,” he said. “That confidence is infectious, and that is what I want to see in the senior team,” added Chhetri.