India renew Thai rivalry with eye on HK qualifier

Ahmedabad: India will take inspiration from their last two wins and talismanic Sunil Chhetri’s good form when they face Asian rivals Thailand in an international friendly football match here on Wednesday.

For India, Thailand have been one of the most familiar continental rivals outside of South Asian countries. Both are among middle-rung Asian countries in the FIFA charts.

From the Asian Games to the Asian Cup, from the King’s Cup to the Nehru Cup, the history of India versus Thailand clashes in men’s football is a long one.

Since the first meeting at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, when India won 4-1, the two teams have played 26 times. India have won seven matches, while Thailand emerged victorious 12 times, and seven were draws. The previous two matches, however, were both won by India in 2019.

A sensational 4-1 win at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in Abu Dhabi, before a narrow 1-0 victory to win bronze at the King’s Cup on Thai soil.

Chhetri, who scored the first two goals in the Asian Cup victory, reminisced about the performance that ended India’s 55-year wait for a win at the continental showpiece.

“That was a long time back. What I remember of the game was that the team was outstanding in that game. That’s also a marker for us to know that on a good day, if we work hard, that’s what we can achieve,” said Chhetri.

“That game was special because a lot of young people did really well. So, we are taking a lot of positivity and inspiration from the game. At that time, Thailand were probably better than us on paper. We were underdogs, and to win the game the way we did — it wasn’t just four goals but the way we held ourselves and dominated — was really fantastic.”