Disappointed to miss the upcoming international friendlies against Oman and the UAE, as he recovers from Covid-19, India football captain Sunil Chhetri is hopeful that his teammates will give a good account of themselves against the two tough Asian sides.

The Bengaluru FC skipper is set to miss the two friendlies in Dubai on Thursday (against the UAE) and March 29 (versus Oman) after he tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this month.

“To lose out on international football for an entire year was such a big disappointment. But these are unprecedented times and they aren’t in our control,” he said.

Chhetri added that getting to play against the regional powerhouses would be a great opportunity for India. “It pleases me more than I can tell. I’ve always been thinking about how we need to better ourselves in Asia and that can happen only when we come up against top opponents. Oman and the UAE most certainly fit that bill,” he said.

“I hope we, as a team, make the most of this chance, give a good account of ourselves and most importantly, learn from the experience,” he added.