Blue Tigers look for fern in the cap

A final berth in grasp along with a morale-boosting emotional connect with the fans, the Indian football team would be aiming for another big win when they take on a relatively young New Zealand in what has been declared a sold-out match of the Intercontinental Cup here on Thursday.

The low-profile four-nation tournament, dismissed as devoid of quality at the very outset, captured the public imagination courtesy a one and a half minute video by Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri appealing for fans' support before his 100th appearance for the country.

The message struck such a chord that it put the entire tournament in spotlight and gave Chhetri one of the most memorable outings of his more than a decade long career as even a heavy downpour failed to stop the fans from packing the Mumbai Football Arena.

He gave them what they had come for, scoring twice to guide India to a 3-0 win over Kenya. The win took the hosts into the final.

The organisers claim that the tickets for Thursday's match as well as Sunday's final have been sold out.

On to the footballing matters and after having blanked Chinese Taipei and Kenya, India will look to complete a hat-trick of wins on Thursday.

But it remains to be seen whether coach Stephane Constantine sticks to playing his best XI or attempts a few changes to give stars like Chhetri and defender Sandesh Jhingan a break.

The match against Kenya , which India won 3-0, was played under heavy rain and the soaked turf became an opposition in its own right for both the teams. The match was a physically draining one and man of the match defender Jhingan had limped off after an awkward fall.

Should Chhetri skip the match on Thursday, someone like Balwant Singh might get a chance.

The hosts also have an array of attacking midfielders like Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa and Pronay Halder.

They will have to play their part to perfection if the likes of Kiwi striker Myer Bevan have to be restricted.

And India also have an equally strong defence with players like Pritam Kotal.

Add to it the likes of Narayan Das and Subhashis Bose, the Kiwi strikers will have a hard time.

The game will also be special for Jeje Lalpekhlua as it will be his 50th match in national colours.

New Zealand coach Fritz Schmid has said that the game would be a big challenge.

India have a great custodian in the form of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu but a young Vishal Kaith or Amrinder Singh could get a game on Thursday.

But despite India being the firm favourites to win the match, New Zealand could spoil their party by giving a tough fight.

‘good platform for test’

Indian football team's young winger Halicharan Narzary on Wednesday said the ongoing Intercontinental Cup is a good testing ground for the home team ahead of next year's AFC Asian Cup.

"The Intercontinental Cup is a very important tournament for us and before the AFC Asian Cup it will be a good platform to test ourselves against some of the teams of different playing styles of the elite level, that we don't come across often," Narzary said.

He said a positive result against New Zealand on Thursday will matter as it will help the home reach the final with the momentum firmly on its side.

India are high on confidence after back-to-back victories, against Chinese Taipei and Kenya.

"Obviously we will be playing for a win against New Zealand, but it will not be easy. It will be remarkable if we win all of our three matches going ahead into the finals of the Cup and keep the winning momentum alive till the finals," Narzary said on the eve of the game.

Post the wins, the team was involved in a recovery session at the pool and team meetings. The squad also went through a practice session at the Mumbai Football Arena.

Striker Balwant Singh, who has been a revelation in the national team since his return to the squad last year at the Tri-nation tournament at the same venue, also stays aware of the "fresh challenge".

"We have pulled off back-to-back wins but a fresh challenge lies ahead. We have to keep our head down and continue working. We are a confident bunch of lads and we hope we continue the job," Balwant said.