Defending champions India will have their task cut out when they face a tough Kuwait in the SAFF Championship final at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.
In the semi-finals, India were stretched by Lebanon to a penalty shootout which they won 4-2, while Kuwaithad to wait till extra time to eke out a 1-0 victory over Bangladesh.
This will be the second time India will face Kuwait in the tournament. They had played out a 1-1 draw in an acrimonious Group A match on June 27.
The Blue Tigers have never lost a final at home since 2005 and would like to add the SAFF title for the ninth time.
India might just appear to have a slight upper hand in front of a hugely partisan home crowd. But there is a worrying aspect. Will India be able to give their best in the final after they were made to toil for two matches in succession?
India assistant coach Mahesh Gawli sought to allay such concerns. “I’d like to say that if you get one week, you can’t do anything. But when you get one month or more you work more on fitness,” said Gawli.
“I think we had almost 50 days. Our strength and conditioning coach, Luka Radman, has done a wonderful job. We have seen our players playing without injuries, and there have been no cramps as well.”
In the final, India will also be boosted by the return of key defender Sandesh Jhingan. He had missed the semi-final against Lebanon owing to two accumulated yellow cards against Pakistan and Kuwait.
Mehtab Singh had replaced Jhingan in the line-up against Lebanon in the semi-final, and he did an excellent job along with Anwar Ali.
Head coach Igor Stimac will be absent from the India dug-out in this match as well after he was slapped with a two-match ban by the SAFF disciplinary committee.
Stimac had received his second red card of the tournament during the match against Kuwait. Earlier, he was shown a red card in India’s tournament opener against Pakistan.
However, India, under captain Sunil Chhetri, has shown a streak of determination to rise above obstacles.
After scoring in three successive matches in the group stage, Chhetri was not able to find the back of the net against Lebanon last Saturday. He converted a penalty in the shootout, but the striker would like to make a heftier contribution in the summit clash.
India would also hope that Sahal Abdul Samad, Mahesh Singh and Udanta Singh continue to be energetic on the field, feeding Chhetri with crosses. Mahesh, who is usually deployed as a winger, was fielded behind Chhetri against Lebanon to add more support to the skipper. Gawli indicated a continuation of that strategy in the final as well.
“We wanted him to play there (in the wings) and feed the wingers and Sunil (Chhetri). He was doing that. We kept Ashique (Kuruniyan) on the left because of his physicality, and he was doing well. He was running a lot. We do not want to change that,” Gawli said.
But the Indians know that Kuwait are a battle-hardened side, and nothing less than their best would suffice.
“It will be a tough game. They are a very good team. They have an experienced coach. But we are looking forward to it because we have done well together,” Jhingan said at the pre-match news conference.
“They have very technical players, and individually, they are also good. About their Fifa rankings (141), everyone knows that they aren’t where they should be. If you are not focused for 10 seconds, they will score against you,” added Jhingan.
Jhingan just can’t wait to take the field after missing the semi-final against Lebanon. “I missed being on the field. I don’t want to miss the big games. But the team did really well, and I don’t think I was missed much. Mehtab Singh and Anwar Ali did well.
“It is all about team philosophy and unity. I was personally confident that we will get through to the final,” he said.
The defender praised Anwar. “He is doing very well at the moment,” Jhingan said.
Today’s clash
India vs Kuwait (7.30 pm, Live on FanCode, DD Sports)
