Sunil Chhetri has moved to second place — only behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo — on the active international goalscorers’ list, a feat that former skipper Bhaichung Bhutia said was a tribute to the India football captain’s fitness.

“First of all I would like to congratulate Sunil for scoring two important goals against Bangladesh which helped India win the game. Sometimes it seems he is getting younger. The reason behind it is his fitness,” Bhaichung told The Telegraph from Mumbai on Tuesday.

Chhetri’s brace against Bangladesh on Monday handed India their first win in almost six years in Fifa World Cup qualifiers. It also took his international tally of goals to 74, two more than Lionel Messi. Cristiano has 103.

Bhaichung said Chhetri and Cristiano, who are both 36, are fitness freaks — and that is their strength.

“Like Cristiano, Sunil lays paramount importance on fitness. If you follow the two, you will notice both are always doing something to better their fitness, which is a fantastic habit but very hard to develop. This aspect is vital for a footballer who wants to serve his country for a long time. Sunil is 36 now. If he can maintain himself in this manner, he will definitely play for India for the next two-three years. In fact, I strongly believe he will.

“He is an asset for the team. Young players should learn from Sunil how to keep themselves ready for international standards,” Bhaichung, 44, said.

“If you look at India’s match against Bangladesh, we didn’t play that well but thanks to him, India got full points,” he added.

India team coach Igor Stimac was also full of praise for Chhetri.

“Many people ask when Sunil is going to retire. He works so hard on the pitch, and in every training session, he is by far the best. He plays as if he is 25 and scoring goals like he is 25,” Stimac said.

Chhetri himself doesn’t care about the number of goals he has scored for the national team. “I do not count the number of goals. Maybe 10 years later, we will sit together, have a chat and then count,” the striker said.

Neither does he look back on his goals. “You know what? All of that is in the past. We play Afghanistan (on June 15), and we have to be at our best. It will be a new day, a new canvas. And it is up to us to paint it the manner we want to,” he said.