Runners-up in 1964, wilderness years and heartbreak in 2019, a have a look at India’s sparse historical past on the AFC Asian Cup

India’s marketing campaign within the 2023 AFC Asian Cup begins with a match in opposition to one of many title favourites, Australia. In reality, India are positioned in Group B which incorporates Uzbekistan and Syria aside from the Australians. The lowest-ranked aspect among the many three international locations are Syria at 91 whereas Uzbekistan are 68th and Australia are twenty fifth on the FIFA standings. India are ranked 102, which signifies that getting any sort of beneficial outcome within the group stage is a protracted shot.

This wasn’t all the time the case although. India’s first look within the event got here in 1964 and it additionally ended with their best-ever end. The Asian Cup was only a four-team affair that 12 months with a number of international locations pulling out as a consequence of political causes, among the many many elements that will ultimately end in hosts Israel being expelled from the AFC and ultimately relocating to Europe’s UEFA.

India misplaced only one sport within the competitors, to the hosts themselves, and ended up ending runners-up to Israel. Englishman Harry Wright was India’s coach on the time, having taken over from the group’s longest-serving coach Syed Abdul Rahim a 12 months earlier after the latter’s premature demise. The runners-up end turned out to be among the many last embers of the Indian males’s soccer group’s golden years, most of which coincided with Rahim’s reign.

It can be 20 years earlier than India qualify for the Asian Cup and the group’s returns have been virtually non-existent within the event since. Their subsequent look got here in Singapore 1984, the place they positioned in a gaggle alongside China, Iran, UAE and the hosts. India held Iran to a goalless draw and that was the one level they received within the event. This was additionally their final Asian Cup look within the twentieth century. They then certified for Qatar 2011 and have been dumped out with out scoring a degree. India have been positioned Group C with Australia, South Korea and Bahrain. They misplaced 4-0 to Australia within the opener, 5-2 to Bahrain during which Gouramangi Singh and Sunil Chhetri scored, and 4-1 to South Korea, with Chhetri’s twelfth minute penalty being their lone aim within the match.

Eight years later although, India put arguably their strongest efficiency because the 1964 event, even though it ended with technically their lowest rating within the event at seventeenth. India’s marketing campaign began with a surprising 4-1 win over Thailand. The different two sides within the group have been hosts UAE and Bahrain. Against the UAE, they misplaced 2-0 however went into the ultimate group sport in opposition to Bahrain with an outdoor probability of creating it to the knockouts. They have been arguably the higher aspect within the first half and repelled Bahrain’s assaults successfully within the second. A draw would have been sufficient for India to undergo to the knockouts however Bahrain received and transformed a penalty within the first minute of added time, thus ending India’s desires.