New Delhi: The Indian football team rose to No. 99 in the world in the latest FIFA rankings.
This is the first time since 2018 that Sunil Chhetri & Co. have been ranked below 100.
The team, coached by Croatian World Cup star Igor Stimac, has been making steady progress over a period couple of years.
They won two tournaments recently – Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar and SAFF Championship in Bengaluru – which helped the Indians climb steadily in world rankings from 106 in March to double figures now.
The Hangzhou Asian Games, which will bring together the continent’s top teams, is coming up next, but the Indian team may not get the clearance from government to take part as it’s not among the top 8 teams of Asia.
Hence Stimac, desperate to see his men facing tough tests, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and ensure India’s trip to China.
Under Stimac, the players’ fitness has improved significantly which has led to a rise in performance level through attacking football.
Chhetri, who seems to be getting better with age, remains a vital element in Team India’s plans.
At 38 the oldest member of the team by some distance, Chhetri has taken his tally to 85 goals in 133 international matches. He scored in the Intercontinental Cup final against Lebanon and fired a hat-trick against Pakistan in the SAFF meet.
