India begin Challenge Cup journey

It’s like reappearing for kindergarten after completing your graduation. Crazy as it may sound, but that’s what the scenario is like for the Indian football team.

Just months after competing with heavyweights like Australia, South Korea and Bahrain in the Asian Cup — the continent's blue riband football event — India will start from scratch when they face the lesser competitive teams like Chinese Taipei, Pakistan and Turkmenistan in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, which begins in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday.

AFC Challenge Cup is a tournament designed for the developing football nations. Since India’s ranking hasn’t improved following poor performances in the last few international matches they have played, they continue to be a part of the lower tier of the continent.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had decided against direct entries for the 2012 edition of the tournament, hence each country has to go through the qualifying process, with top two teams from each group qualifying for the main event. The winner of the AFC Challenge Cup will get a direct entry for the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia.

With India, ranked 24 in the continent, entering the tournament on the back of some decent exposure to playing against some of the top sides, the Bob Houghton-coached side enter the qualifiers as the favourites. The tournament assumes more significance as this might well be Houghton’s last tournament in charge of the team.

The All India Football Federation has decided to take action against Houghton once the team returns from Malaysia. But the Englishman, right now, is focussed on the task ahead of him.

“It will be a closely fought tournament and there will be tough competition and we hope to qualify. We have played all the three teams earlier and they were all close games,” Houghton said. He expects this tournament will help him gauge his side’s balance for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, which begin in June. “This tournament will be useful for that. We have rested many players who played in the Asian Cup and they will be in the reckoning for the qualifiers,” he said.

A win for India against Chinese Taipei on Monday will put them in a great position, as they are expected to ease past Pakistan, while 2010 AFC Challenge Cup runners-up Turkmenistan are expected to give Houghton’s boys a run for their money. In their last two meetings, India have beaten Taipei once (3-0 at Goa in 2008) and drawn once (2-2 at Chennai in 2008).

Youngster Jeje Lalpekhulua is expected to make his debut and partner captain Sunil Chhetri, who will play important role in handling this rather young Indian team, upfront. India U-23 skipper Raju Gaikwad, too, is expected to make his first appearance for the senior side.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul, Gurpreet Singh, Jagroop Singh; Defenders: Denzil Franco, Gourmangi Singh, Anwar, Mohan Raj, Nirmal Chhetri, Syed Rahim Nabi,Govin Singh, NS Manju, Raju Gaikwad; Midfielders: Steven Dias, Joaquim Abranches, Baldip Singh, Jagpreet Singh, Rakesh Masih, Jewel Raja, Shilton D’Silva; Forwards: Sunil Chhetri (Capt), Sushil Singh, CS Sabeeth, Jeje Lalpekhulua
India’s schedule: March 21: vs Chinese Taipei, March 23: vs Pakistan; March 25: vs Turkmenistan