Chhetri’s India seeks crowning glory, Kenya stands in way
India will for the umpteenth time look up to the talismanic Sunil Chhetri and a stadium packed to the brim with emotionally-charged fans for inspiration as they face Kenya in the summit showdown of the Intercontinental Cup here on Sunday.
The world’s third leading scorer, Chhetri have so far found the back of the net in each of the three games, including a hat-trick against Chinese Taipei and a brace against Kenya.
The tournament is being used by hosts India as a preparatory ground for the AFC Asian Cup, to be held in January next year, and a win in the final will surely boost their confidence going ahead.
India had blanked Kenya 3-0 in the league game at the Mumbai Football Arena, which was skipper Chhetri’s 100th appearance in national colours. And the India captain made the game memorable by scoring a brace.
They will look to replicate the performance of their league game against the African side again in the summit clash, which the organisers have claimed to be a ‘sold out’ match.
The hosts are the side to beat this tournament as they have throughout played an aggressive brand of football.
But the Stephen Constantine coached team cannot take Kenya lightly as they have defeated New Zealand 2-1 and blanked Chinese Taipei 4-0.
Constantine will ensure that his best playing XI will take the field tomorrow after his strategy of making seven changes initially in the game against New Zealand backfired as the roles to perfection if the physically strong Kenyan strikers are to be tamed.
At the back, India have experienced defenders like Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal. Add to it the likes of Subhasish Bose, and the hosts can make Kenya’s life pretty difficult.
And goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who was benched in the last game, will be back in action. He will have to surely be at his best.
On the other hand, Kenya would have bolstered their confidence after they drubbed