"We are at the right stage": Sunil Chhetri ahead of India's FIFA WC qualifier ma

Talking about Indias upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Kuwait on Thursday skipper Sunil Chhetri kept faith in his team and said We are preparedThe 39yearold footballer also accepted that they are in a strong group in the World Cup qualifiersAlso ReadRohit Sharma It is just pure business of getting the job done for the teamI think we are at the right stage This team probably has a strong side Also I must admit that we are in a strong group Some really good sides are clubbed with us But I think we are prepared barring a few injuries here and there Its a team that has played together for some time And a lot of youngsters are there Yes we look good Chhetri said as quoted by AIFFs official websiteIn the World Cup 2026 qualifiers round India have drawn alongside Qatar Kuwait and Afghanistan The Blue Tigers need to secure a toptwo spot to advance to the next roundAlso ReadICC World Cup 2023 IND vs NZ Most hundreds by active playersTalking about Indias preparation ahead of their upcoming match Chhetri said that the team is more prepared than before He added that the World Cup qualifiers are happening at a time when a lot of players have a decent amount of game time under their beltsI think it is just the morale of the team or what has happened in the last six eight months A lot of boys have taken their places in the team And that is why we are probably more prepared Also the World Cup qualifiers are happening at a time when a lot of us have a decent amount of game time under our belts all these things do matter Over and above we played Kuwait twice a few months back so we have better knowledge of them though it works on both sides We have played Qatar at least thrice in the last three years which again helps And we always know Afghanistan We have played them enough he addedWhen asked about Indias injury concerns before the start of the qualifiers he added that it will take a lot of focus away from the players who are going to replace themI think I want to restrain myself from talking about the injuries because I think a lot of importance has been given to the injuries of some of the team members I love them They know it and Ill miss them But its done Its gone Ive made peace with it that theyre not going to be here Otherwise it will take a lot of focus away from the boys who are going to replace them We always say that we are a team rather than a bunch of individuals Whoever is here will have to play and make sure that we give a good account of ourselves he addedIndia has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup Since 1990 India have regularly participated in the qualifiers round of the tournament but could never make it to the final roundThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever