India head into their final Group B fixture of the CAFA Nations Cup against Afghanistan with everything to play for. A win would not only keep them in contention for a spot in the final, but also guarantee another competitive fixture in the third-place match on September 8 — a valuable opportunity in this international window.
Head coach Khalid Jamil has made it clear that his side will not be distracted by calculations. “We are not thinking of all such scenarios at this point. There is no point to it,” he said on the eve of the game. “We will go into the game looking for a win. It’s as simple as that.”
India began their campaign with a morale-boosting victory over hosts Tajikistan, their first competitive win since November 2023. That was followed by a 0-3 defeat against Iran, though Jamil felt the scoreline did not reflect the effort. “We are all sad that we played so well in the first half, and then things did not click for us in the second. I’ll be the first one to accept that I made a mistake with the substitution at that point, and they managed to score after it,” he admitted. “But this is as much of a learning curve for the players as it is for the coach. We will take the learnings in our stride and move on.”
The coach praised his squad for their resilience. “I must commend my players for doing everything I asked of them. They showed great attitude against a team that was of a much higher quality. In the end, I think the scoreline was not fair. We did not deserve to lose 0-3,” he remarked.
India will, however, have to cope without centre-back Sandesh Jhingan, who played through injury in the previous match. “I’ve never seen a player as brave as Sandesh. Even with the injury, he kept playing in the last match. Not many players can do that,” said Jamil. “We will definitely miss his presence. He’s a great motivator on and off the pitch for the others. It’s difficult to find a replacement for him, but this also allows the others to step up.”
In Jhingan’s absence, senior defender Rahul Bheke is likely to take on added responsibility. The versatile full-back is relishing the challenge of competing against physically strong Central Asian teams. “Right from the first day of the camp, the new faces have been proving themselves, and it’s been a good experience for us all in the CAFA Nations Cup so far,” he said. “I think everyone knows how important it is to be here with the national team, and how crucial it is for us to perform in a tournament like this.”
Bheke underlined the importance of the final group game. “I think the boys have shown how much we’ve improved. Now the real test is in front of us, in the form of the third game. I think we have to do much better and get a positive result from here,” he added.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, have endured a difficult tournament with two straight losses, but Italian coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese remains determined to end on a high. The highlight for his side was their spirited performance against Iran, where winger Omid Musawi scored a memorable goal.
For Jamil’s men, the equation is straightforward: Win, and the door opens to another competitive match on September 8.
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