NEW DELHI, Oct 30: �We will put our best foot forward against Oman and Afghanistan,� promised India captain Sunil Chhetri, days after his defenceless team left its scoring boots at home in a 1-1 stalemate with Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
On a high after holding Asian champions and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar to a goalless draw, a struggling India escaped with a 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh in their previous second round qualifying match in Kolkata.
�I think one of them is going to be in Dushanbe because they (Afghanistan) play their home games over there and then against Oman (in Muscat). Both are very difficult and important games, but we back ourselves. If we play the way we played against Qatar, we can do it. We are not scared,� Chhetri said on the sidelines of a Herbalife Nutrition event.
Yet to taste a win, India are scheduled to play Afghanistan on November 14 and Oman on November 19.
Having squandered a one-goal advantage to lose 1-2 to Oman in their opener at home, India held fancied Qatar in Doha before the underwhelming result against Bangladesh in Kolkata.
�We felt bad after the game (against Bangladesh) because we felt we could have done a lot better than what we did. We are over it. We will put our best foot forward against Afghanistan and Oman, two away games, which are very important and difficult ones also.
�We do not want to wash away the good things we have done against Oman, Qatar and Bangladesh, we are definitely on a high. We are learning a lot, just hope we continue that,� said one of international football�s leading scorers.
�We are not happy with our performance against Bangladesh. The team played well but our strikers missed a lot of chances, and that�s why we lost two points which we should not have, and that really bothers us.�
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has recently recognised the ISL as the country�s top league and asked about the roadmap, he said, �I think they have discussed with the AFC and I hope every stakeholder will come together, for me more teams the better, as soon as possible.� � PTI
