His AFC Asia Cup journey as hosts became smaller due to Kovid epidemic, and his defeat in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship and the Olympic and Asian Games qualifiers created a difficult mountain for him. However, very few people would have thought that he would take Blue Tigraces from the post to the 2026 AFC Women Asian Cup. But the same thing happened on Saturday (July 6) when midfielder Sangeeta Basfor scored two goals against Thailand to confirm India in the tournament. He not only brought the team to qualification, but Chhetri successfully led one of the biggest return for him.

He believes that the team’s combativeness and commitment to badges played an important role in qualification. Chhetri told the daily, “This group of players is like a family that is ready to die for each other. For them, the back of Jersey matters more badge.” Although he credited India’s success to a well-established group of players, around which the team will work, but the core group is yet to be formed. Some players are already the best players. Chhetri said, “There are many leaders in this group, but some young players like Hemam Shilki Devi, Purnima Kumari, Linda Kom Serto and Rimpa Haldhar can help lead the team in the future.”

In his entire career, most of the Kolkata -based clubs, such as Mohan Bagan, Toliganj Agragami and United SC, where Chhetri won the Kalinga Cup with him in 2005, his step in coaching was his interest in coaching. Chhetri considered the great coach Amal Dutta as his ideal, who brought revolution in Indian football with his 3-4-3 diamond system in the 1970s. He played in 2006 under his guidance in the United SC (then Chirag United).

When asked about his sports philosophy, Chhetri said, “There is no such thing as ‘darshan’ for me, but I like to play from behind and develop the attack from behind, as well as our team like to mold accordingly. When our opponents used to put more pressure, we used to try to hit long balls in empty space to penetrate the defense. Was.”