Jamil's decision heralds a new age of audacity in Indian football.
The footballing scene in India is bubbling up to acquire the shocking move of the newly appointed head coach Khalid Jamil who surprisingly excluded an iconic name, Sunil Chhetri in the probable 35 man list of the Indian team preparing to participate in the CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The omission, especially since Chhetri is a national icon, prompted a large swell of both social media and speculative newsmaking on the part of fans.
Jamil took the uproar straight, by disclosing that the omission was tactical, and not personal. On the necessity to try younger talent, he clarified that he had an honest talk with Chhetri and reassured the skipper that, the door is never closed. He also presented the tournament as the warm up stage to the qualifiers of Asian cup providing the new set of players with the opportunity to make a mark on the international front.
Chhetri and his absence seem to stand out in contrast with his recent retirement to international duty which came in the first few months this year. After rejoining the national fold in March he played four matches and scored one goal under former coach Manolo Marquez. The fact that Jamil decided to proceed to a new direction of the squad can be called a turning point in Indian football.
In this regard, so far, 22 out of the 35 probables have joined the training camp in Bengaluru with the rest following after Durand Cup commitments. This move by Jamil as a new coach of India and the first Indian occupying its permanent head coach since 2012, points to his ability of taking drastic decisions and providing a new direction to his team.
Although he might not be in this team, Chhetri is always available to join but since he has a lot to say with respect to his approach, Jamil sends perfect messages and considering the legacy of the striker, his comeback, at this point, is not a question of whether, but of when. All this leads to the question of what is in store in the future of the most prolific scorer in Indian football.
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