King’s Cup: Chhetri-less India begin overseas tour

Chiang Mai (Thailand), sep 6

India will sorely miss their talismanic skipper Sunil Chhetri as they return to action after two months against a higher-ranked Iraq in the four-team King’s Cup here tomorrow.

Chhetri, who played a key role in India’s title triumph in the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship, has taken a break to spend time with his wife following the birth of their son.

The Igor Stimac-coached side returns to action on the back of winning a hat-trick of titles, including the Tri-Nation tournament in Imphal in March.

Ranked 29 places above India in the FIFA rankings, Iraq, who recently won the Arabian Gulf Cup, will start as firm favourites in the four-nation tournament where the winners of the two round-robin matches play the final.

In the other match, hosts Thailand will take on Lebanon later in the day. The two losing teams will fight for the bronze medal before Sunday’s final.

That India are yet to defeat Iraq in six matches (four losses, two draws) make this all the more difficult for Stimac’s men. The last time India took on Iraq, they lost 0-2 in a Sharjah friendly before the 2011 Asian Cup.

“I hope that we’re going to give everything on the pitch to do something good against a strong side like Iraq, who are Arabian Gulf Cup champions,” said Stimac. “After beating Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, they are one of the clear favourites in the upcoming Asian Cup. So it’s going to be very difficult for us, but I hope our boys will enjoy the game.”