Kolkata, (West Bengal) [India], May 25 (ANI): Sunil Chhetri is the only Indian player to record an appearance in three AFC Asian Cups, according to a release from AIFF.

The path to reach Asia's showpiece event is always a gruelling one. From scoring that unforgettable hat-trick way back at the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final, which led India to the 2011 Asian Cup, to now battling for qualification for the 2027 edition in Saudi Arabia, Chhetri's longevity in the national team is unmatched.

Between 1960 and 2007, India had only qualified for two Asian Cups. And now, as the Blue Tigers aim to script history by making it to three successive Asian Cups for the first time, Chhetri tags it as a 'bare minimum' requirement for the nation. But it's a year-long journey of qualification and the boys must take things 'game by game'.

'We should qualify for every Asian Cup, and it's mandatory. But I don't want to put pressure on the boys and the team. Let's take one game at a time. Hong Kong, of course, is going to be very crucial. But yes, for India, it's a bare minimum to qualify for the Asian Cup, so that we can test ourselves with the best in Asia and keep proving that we are improving,' said Chhetri.

India were held goalless by Bangladesh on Matchday 1 of the Qualifiers in March, and will next face Hong Kong in Kowloon City on June 10. Before that, Manolo Marquez's men will play Thailand in a preparatory friendly on June 4 in Pathum Thani.

'The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down,' said Chhetri. 'And after I saw the replays, I thought we, as a team, could have done so much more. It was a huge opportunity to take the lead in the table, playing Bangladesh at home. We should have done so many things better. Ending up with just a point, I think we players have no one else but ourselves to blame. We didn't turn up the way we should have. And that is the reason why we drew the game. We've talked about it, we've seen the videos, and we can't wait to rectify it.'

No one knows the hustle of the Asian Cup qualifiers better than the 40-year-old. After all, he has been the talisman in the previous three qualifying campaigns.

The hat-trick against Tajikistan at the Ambedkar Stadium in 2008 ended India's 27-year wait for an Asian Cup appearance. The last-minute winner against Myanmar and that sensational strike against the Kyrgyz Republic in 2017 eased India's path to the 2019 tournament.

Another Chhetri moment came in the 2022 qualifiers, when he scored a stunning free-kick against Afghanistan at the Salt Lake Stadium. Not to mention the brace against Cambodia.

And so, despite India not making the best of starts to the current campaign, Chhetri knows that the road is a long one and there's a healthy amount of time available to put things on track. The work for the June FIFA window began in Kolkata on May 19, and with five full training sessions under the belt, everything is going as per plan so far.

'The first five days have been more about the physical aspect of the game. As the coach mentioned, many players have come in at different physical stages. To bring everyone on the same page for the first few days was quite intense.

'All the boys look good, everyone looks sharp and confident. We also had some video sessions where we had a lot of learning to take on board. Everything looks good,' said Chhetri.

On May 28, the Blue Tigers will travel to Thailand, where they will have a few more training sessions before squaring off against the hosts at the Thammasat Stadium on June 4. The squad will subsequently depart for Hong Kong for their first away match of the qualifiers. Apart from the physical and technical preparation, the most important and simple need is to 'turn up,' according to Chhetri.

'The coach has got a bit of time to formulate a plan. We players have to make sure that we take everything on board and be in sync as to what the plan is, and go and try and execute it to the best of our ability. But more importantly, the mistake we made against Bangladesh was that we didn't turn up. And all the preparation, the technical aspect put aside, you have to go and show up. You just have to go and give whatever you have.

'We saw some clips of Hong Kong. We will watch more of them. But I think, right now in the stage that we are, we are thinking more about ourselves and slowly we'll progress into what the opponent is and how they play,' Chhetri said.(ANI)