Sunil Chhetri to captain India in 2012 Nehru Cup

As expected new coach Wim Koevermans from the Netherlands has named striker Sunil Chhetri as the captain of the Indian national football team for the upcoming 2012 Nehru Cup, which kicks-off for India with a match against old rivals Syria at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday, August 22. Koevermans announced Chhetri's name after the evening practice session at the Jaypee Greens ground today.

Chhetri who presently plays for Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal said, "It's a huge honour to lead the country!"

"This edition of the Nehru Cup is a special one as it is being organized in the Platinum Jubilee Year of the AIFF. Captaining one's country, that too in the Capital City of your own Country is a huge prize for any player," Chhetri added.

"At the same time it's an extra burden as you cannot ever shy away from the responsibility," said the Delhi boy.

Chhetri has had some of his best moments in an India shirt in the capital, be it his breakthrough at the 2007 Nehru Cup, the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final hattrick against Tajikistan and captaining India to the 2011 SAFF Cup title besides being the tournaments best player and highest scorer.

This is now a new challenge for Sunil Chhetri and his team to win the Nehru Cup for a third time in a row.

Meanwhile the light drizzle at the picturesque Jaypee Greens in Greater Noida seemed to lift up the spirits of the footballers who enjoyed the change from the usual humid conditions.

"It's up to us to keep the tradition alive in the Nehru Cup. The Coach has been working hard and pinning a lot of hopes on us. We cannot let him and our country down," Mehtab Hossain maintained later.

"This is a new generation. I've been lucky enough to have played and learnt a lot from the likes of Baichung, Mahesh, Deepak and Climax. But every step is a learning one and despite being a senior, you get to update yourself when a younger bunch pushes you on the field," former AIFF Player-of-the-Year Gouramangi Singh said.

"Every match will be a tough one for us. We need to keep up the momentum. The practice sessions have been informative," winger Clifford Miranda quipped.

Under-22 striker Manandeep Singh speaking about his first senior call-up said, "It's a dream come true for me!"

"When I was earlier in Goa with the age-group teams (from Under-14 onwards), we used to watch the Nehru Cup on television. Today, my hard work has paid off and I'm in the final squad. But I know, there's a lot of scope for improvement," Manandeep concluded.