Mar 25, 2025, 10:00 AM
India vs Bangladesh kickstarts the teams’ last chance for qualification to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, and the two teams come into the Group C encounter with their hopes pinned on two superstars of the regional game – Sunil Chhetri and Hamza Choudhury. The match kicks off at 7 PM local time, but we’ll be right here with all the build up ahead of what promises to be an absolute cracker. You can follow it right here on our live blog:
For India, it’s the returning Sunil Chhetri, freshly un-retired and scorer of his 95th international goal last week against the Maldives. Around him, the team played with a freedom we haven’t seen for quite a while as Manolo Marquez got his first ever win as head coach of India. It was an emphatic won, the 3 – 0 scoreline accurately depicting the home side’s dominance in Shillong. He knows, though, that their opponents today will be a whole different proposition.
The main reason for that is a potential debutant for Bangladesh. Hamza Choudhury’s played in the English Premier League, won the FA Cup and now looks set to win promotion from the Championship and brings with him the kind of talent and footballing pedigree South Asia has rarely seen before. Hamza’s mere arrival has got the country bouncing, if he can inspire the national team to a famous win on the neighbour’s soil, his legend-status would be sealed.
Bangladesh’s captain, and most capped player, Jamal Bhuyan has a penchant for quotable statements at pre-match press conferences, like when he said he’d break Indian hearts in Kolkata and proceeded to lead his team to a brilliant 1-1 draw, a result salvaged for India by a late Adil Khan header. This time around he’s called Hamza their “Messi” and come out with another sparkling quote: “Sunil [Chhetri] is a very good player. He has done a tremendous job for his country. But let’s be honest: Hamza is a Premier League player.”
On the pitch, there’s a strong likelihood that Hamza, usually a central defensive midfielder, may play a more advanced attacking role and nullifying the Hamza X-factor will be key for India.
The home side, though, will bank on their collective strength outweighing the talents of one star player — and marginal advantages like a big height difference in defences (key during set-pieces) and the increased confidence of the attacking unit thanks to Chhetri’s return playing out in their favour.
