Sunil Chhetri is among the oldest players at the AFC Asian Cup 2023 and at 39 years could possibly feature in a major continental competition for the last time.
When the Indian team arrived at the Doha international airport last week, Indian fans applauded all the players with the loudest cheer reserved for the captain.
Fans were singing his name till the end.
The phenomenal support will continue when India play their games at the continental showpiece, according to Asian Cup 2023 local organising committee CEO Jassim Abdulaziz Al Jassim.
“Sunil is one of the best players in this tournament and we have seen that a lot of spectators are buying tickets to attend India matches for that reason,” Al Jassim told TOI in an exclusive interaction.
“When India arrived, a lot of fans were waiting for Sunil outside the airport. It was nice and gives the team a good vibe ahead of the tournament.”
With 145 caps, Chhetri will be among the top-three capped players at the Asian Cup, starting next week. Only Qatar forward Hassan Al-Haydos (175) and Bahrain goalkeeper Sayed Mohammed Jaffer (161) are ahead of the record-setting India striker. Qatar hosted the FIFA World Cup 2022 with India recording the second-highest number of visitors after neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
According to a report published by FIFA, 56,893 fans travelled to Doha making it the biggest group of supporters from a non-participating nation.
The 2023 AFC Asian Cup will be India’s fifth appearance in the continental tournament, but for only the first time have they qualified for two straight editions.
“We have seen very high sales for Indian matches. I think after Qatar matches, India comes next in sales,” said Al Jassim.