Anwar Ali praises Sunil Chhetri ahead of 150th international match

Anwar conveyed his best wishes to Chhetri during a press interaction, ahead of Chhetri's 150th match for India against Afghanistan in Guwahati. Anwar also expressed his desire for Chhetri to continue playing more matches.

Guwahati: Ahead of Sunil Chhetri’s 150th senior international match, India defender Anwar Ali called the skipper a “legend”.

While speaking to the press, Anwar sent his best wishes to Chhetri, who will play his 150th match for India in the upcoming encounter against Afghanistan in Guwahati. He also wanted Chhetri to play more matches.

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“He’s our legend. I just want to send him my best wishes. He’s a legend for anyone in India. I want him to play more matches,” Anwar said.

Before the start of India’s upcoming match against Afghanistan in Guwahati, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to felicitate Sunil Chhetri.

Talking about the first round qualifier match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Afghanistan, he said that the Blue Tigers performed well in the game. He added that for the upcoming round, the hosts are ready to take on the Afghan side.

“In the previous game, our performance was good, but we could not score. But for the next match, we are fully prepared and we will do well,” he added.

The India defender said that in the previous round, even though they failed to score, but the team managed to keep a clean sheet. He added that the Blue Tigers’ main goal will be to clinch three points in the upcoming match.

“Every match is friendly, does not matter if it’s friendly or a competitive game. There’s a learning process. In the last match, we failed to get three points but we managed to keep a cleansheet and bagged one point. For us, that’s a good thing. For the next game, our goal will be to get three games,” he added.

India are set to face Afghanistan at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on March 26, in their fourth match of the qualifiers in Group A. The Blue Tigers currently stand second in the group with four points from three games, one ahead of Kuwait, who are on three points from as many matches.