India aim to beat Bangladesh, Maldives with clean sheets

It is easier said than done but senior defender Sandesh Jhingan on Saturday said that the Indian football team’s target is to beat Maldives and Bangladesh without conceding any goal in the upcoming international matches here.

India host Maldives in an international friendly on March 19, before taking on a tricky Bangladesh on March 25 in their opening match of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying third round match.

Both the matches will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here as the Meghalaya capital is hosting its first international games. The match against Maldives will also mark the return of talismanic Sunil Chhetri from international retirement.

“Our main aim is to get the result in the Bangladesh match, as that would give us a good start in the Asian Cup Qualifiers, and I think the 10-day training ahead of that, along with the friendly against Maldives will greatly help us prepare for it,” Jhingan said. “Our target is two clean sheet victories,” the 31-year-old added.

The 40-year-old Chhetri had hung his boots in June 2024 after a glorious international career. But he showed he is still a force to reckon with as has been seen in the 2024-25 ISL which has turned out to be Chhteri’s most prolific season. He has scored 12 goals from 24 matches to be the second-highest scorer overall and highest among Indians. Head coach Manolo Marquez reiterated the reasons behind why he coaxed Chhetri to return to wearing India jersey once again.

“Because it was a special situation, I spoke with the AIFF and Bengaluru FC before I called him. I spoke with Sunil and explained to him what I wanted from him,” Marquez said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s 40. The national team needs players who are in good form,” the Spaniard added.

India are placed in Group C of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying third round along with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, and only the top team qualifies for the continental showpiece.