Shooting to win

SPORT

It's been close to three years since India last won an international football tournament and since that time a lot has changed. The victory in the South Asia Football Federation (SAFF) Cup came in 2005, and the coach who led the team to glory now manages one of our South Asian rivals, Bangladesh. And the Indian team has since moved into the promising hands of Englishman Bob Houghton.

The Nehru Cup, which started with India defeating Cambodia 6:0 on August 17 in New Delhi, will provide an ideal platform for the team to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers, which begin in October. While not favourites "" India still faces opposition from countries such as Syria, Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan "" the home advantage should boost the team's chances.

Star forward Baichung Bhutia leads the team and will be shouldering the responsibility of firing in the goals. Alongside Bhutia will be Indian player of the year Sunil Chetri, who, after an impressive season domestically, will be looking to prove himself at the international level as well.

History is not on the home country's side, however, as they have never ever won this tournament, but Houghton and his men will certainly be looking to change that. Bhutia remains confident about the team's chances. "It is a tough assignment but we have the firepower to win the tournament," he says.

Houghton's coaching methods too have been much appreciated. He has just brought the team back from Portugal, where they had gone for a strenuous training and conditioning camp, as well as much-needed practice matches. In the four practice games, the team gave a decent performance, winning two and drawing the others.

Cambodia may no longer be a huge threat, but Syria is likely to be a formidable opponent. There have been a few complaints regarding the venue, however, and it remains to be seen how the teams cope with that, along with the weather conditions.

The Indian team might be languishing low in the FIFA rankings, but victory in the Nehru Cup could lay the foundation for what will be a crucial year if we want to make some progress on the international scene.