Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], May 29 (ANI): Ahead of his final match with Team India, Blue Tigers skipper Sunil Chhetri said he has been caught in a bit of a dilemma since only a few days left with the National Team.
Earlier in May, the India captain announced that he would don the national jersey one last time in an international fixture against Kuwait on June 6.
The match will provide him one last opportunity to play in front of his adoring home fans at the Salt Lake Stadium before he brings the curtains down on a 19-year-long career.
Chhetri took to his official Instagram account and asked the fans what should be the right route for him to retire. Whether he should count every last few days with the Blue Tigers or stop thinking about how it’s going to end.
“These last few days, I’ve been caught in a bit of a dilemma. Now that there’s a number to my days with the National Team, what’s the right route to take – do I count every day, every training session? Or do I simply turn up without the thought of how this is coming to an end,” Chhetri wrote on X.
The skipper added he has decided to count his sessions with the Blue Tigers with a deep sense of gratitude. The 39-year-old further added if he could then he would capture this feeling in a box.
“Over time, I seemed to have found middle ground. They say, count your blessings. And every single day I get to be on the pitch is a blessing that I’ve never taken for granted. So I’ve decided to count my sessions, but with a deep sense of gratitude. There’s no apprehension. Instead, there’s a feeling of being indebted to the sport, to my team, that I get to do this. If I could, I would capture this feeling in a box. Or instead, I’ll take it to my next training session,” he added.
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Chhetri kicked off his professional football journey at Mohun Bagan in 2002. Chhetri helped India win the 2007, 2009, and 2012 Nehru Cup, as well as the 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2023 SAFF Championship. He also led India to victory in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, which helped India qualify for its first AFC Asian Cup in 27 years.
The Indian captain received the Arjuna Award in 2011, and the Padma Shri in 2019. In 2021, he became the first footballer to get the Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour. (ANI)
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