The interview was fixed for 11:45am, soon after Sunil Chhetri was supposed to finish a team meeting. At 10am, he messaged asking if I was okay with doing it at 12:30pm as the meeting time had been changed. And then, by 12:29pm, he was online. When I said that punctuality was yet another of his virtues, Chhetri laughed and said, “One of my coaches once told me that the match starts at 4pm. Not 4:01pm. So I will always try to be there for the time we agreed.”
Very Sunil Chhetri. Respectful, humble and a true leader of Indian sport. For the next 30 minutes, time just flew. We had the most engaging conversation, and I could write a few thousand words on what he discussed. But here are the key points we spoke about.
Boria: It was a very important win against Lebanon, and it will help us rise in the world rankings as well. And yet again, you led from the front with the first goal. Tell me about it.
Chhetri: Yes, it was a very significant win for us. Let me tell you a backstory, which will help contextualise the significance of the win better. For a number of us, this tournament came at the end of a very long season and, fortunately or unfortunately, we did not get a break. So when we all met for our first practice session, we were a touch tired. And in Odisha, the conditions weren’t great either. It was very hot and humid. If we keep all of these things in mind, the win against a side like Lebanon was most satisfying.
Boria: Coming on the back of the announcement that you will soon join the father’s club, it must have made it even more special.
Chhetri: Thank you for the wishes. It was a hard call when to announce to the world. My wife and I have been thinking about it, and we are one of those couples who have received a lot of love and affection from people across the country. So we wanted to tell them, and were also trying to get the timing right. We thought a lot about how to give the good news to everyone, and then eventually went the very footballer way. My wife said to me that as a footballer, I should score a goal and then announce it to the world. I am glad I did not have to make her wait. The day she said it, I scored against Vanuatu in the 18th minute. I ended up doing what I know as a footballer!
Boria: Five years back, I remember a video you posted with folded hands, asking fans to come out and support the team. And then I think of Manipur and the overflowing stadiums, and now it was the same in Odisha. Clearly, we have travelled a long way from the day of the appeal.
Chhetri: Indeed we have, Boria da. In Manipur and in Odisha, the crowd passion was fantastic. And a large number of our fans travelled to Manipur and to Odisha, spending time, energy and money. I met a number of these fans in Manipur and Bhubaneshwar. It is not easy to spend money and travel to support your team. And that’s what we are now seeing in Indian football. The least we can do for these fans is turn up and give our absolute best each time we wear the national colours. That’s what we tried to do in this tournament.
Boria: I remember you once telling me that the ISL has made a real difference to our football. Can you elaborate a bit more?
Chhetri: The fact that you can train under coaches like Albert Roca, once part of Frank Rijkaard’s coaching set-up in Barcelona, or play with those like Miku, Coro, Roy Krishna and many others – you are sure to get better. Some of the players playing in the ISL could walk into any team at the Asian level, and some could even walk into most top teams in the world. When you play day in, day out with them, you are bound to get better. And you are seeing that in our team. See the physicality, the fitness levels, and you will know what I am talking about.
Boria: When you were growing up, we never qualified for the Asian Cup. Now, we do. How important do you think that is?
Chhetri: You are right. While it is evidence of the progress we have made and a big step forward, it is a small step in the context of where we want to be. If you take the top teams – Japan, Iran, Saudi Arabia – you will see they always want to play with teams who are better and are ranked higher than them. That’s when you improve. At the Asian Cup, you play Japan, Australia and Uzbekistan, teams which are ranked higher than you. That’s when you can judge your progress, how much you have improved as a team. If you just play teams at your level, you can never improve. So the Asian Cup is a must for us, and we take every effort to make use of this opportunity.
Boria: It was heartening to see a number of young players step up in this tournament. Chhangte did well on Sunday. Your thoughts on the young players starting to do well?
Chhetri: This is the biggest positive for me. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see these guys step up. Some years back, two young men, Gurpreet Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan, came to the change-room and we started following a culture which I had started – a culture that had discipline at its core. We followed a very strict regime, and every little thing was monitored. Now both of these superstars have taken the lead in the change room. And every youngster has started to follow the template. That’s why you will see we don’t get tired, we are physically as fit as any other team, and the young players like Chhangte will only get better in future. He is someone we are all fond of, and it is a rare quality, Boria da, to see someone who you like both as a player and as a human being. Chhangte is one such, who is liked universally by all in the team, both as a player and person. [Naorem] Mahesh, Chhangte and each one of the young men have now imbibed the culture, and will take the sport ahead in the country.
Boria: I know you are not a numbers man, but any thoughts on 100 goals?
Chhetri: No, I am not. And I don’t ever think of numbers. What I can tell you, however, is that as long as I play, I will give it my absolute all for the national team. When I first got selected to play for India, I did not imagine I will be captain one day. Never did I imagine I will score as many goals, or play 100 games. All of this was beyond my imagination. I am immensely proud and fortunate that I have got this opportunity. And I have said this to everyone in the change room, that I want to be the last in the team in terms of fitness and stamina – the day that happens, imagine what kind of a team we will have. And for that to happen, each one has to push himself, for I will do everything I can to stay ahead of the younger ones. They need to step up and beat me, and that’s how we will improve as a team.
Boria: Fascinating. That’s all I can say. Finally, please help me understand how the rankings will impact us going forward? How will it help us in the World Cup qualification?
Chhetri: Let me say this to everyone reading this, or to all who will watch your show – in the World Cup qualification, pot one will have all the top teams – Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran etc. Now that our ranking will go up, we will be in pot 2. If we were in pot 3, we would end up playing two top teams, and could be handed a very tough draw. Now that we are in the second pot, we can expect to have one top team in our pool. While no match in international football is easy these days, you can say that being in the second pot does allow us to get a favourable draw in the qualifiers. In that sense, this win is hugely significant.
Boria: Every other Asian country has had a breakout star who made it in Europe. Cha Bum-kun for Korea, Nakata for Japan, Ali Daei for Iran…how important is it that an Indian player also makes it in a big league abroad?
Chhetri: Yes, such a breakthrough can galvanise the nation behind the sport, but it isn’t enough. You need holistic development. You need more than one player. So while it will help to have someone break the barrier and make a mark internationally, we also need more to happen at home. I am very optimistic that before you and I wish Mother Earth goodbye, Boria da, we will see India make a mark in World Cups, for sure. It has to happen. With the potential we have and with the support we now have, it is only a matter of time before we establish ourselves as a strong footballing nation.