Creating chances not enough, we have to convert them: Chhetri

After inspiring performance against Asian champion Qatar (0-0 draw), India played out a 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh, which was on the verge of running away with the match before the home side’s late equaliser in Kolkata on October 15.

Chhetri said “converting chances” was an area where the team needs to work more. India had a slew of chances against Bangladesh and all of them it wasted except for the 88th minute header from Adil Khan.

“We are creating chances. But that is not enough. We have to try our best to convert them and try to be a tougher unit while defending. We have missed against Bangladesh and we need to pull up our socks against Afghanistan,” Chhetri said after a short training stint at the Dubai Sports City.

“At the end of the day, if we can do better on the pitch, we’ll be happier,” Chhetri mentioned.Fullback Subhasish Bose said, “Maintaining clean sheets will be of paramount importance in order to stay alive in the race of the World Cup Qualifiers. We will need to be sharper in the absence of Sandesh-bhai (Jhingan).

“The team is upbeat. We will leave no stone unturned to make the most out of the remaining games. We were able to do the same against Qatar. If we play to our true potential, there’s no reason not to repeat it against Afghanistan and Oman again,” he added.

Seasoned defender Anas Edathodika, who paired with Adil Khan at the heart of the defence against Bangladesh, sounded optimistic about the “defensive solidarity” that the Blue Tigers have shown so far.“There are no easy games at the International level but we have shown defensive solidarity so far. We have to continue to believe in ourselves. We really need to get some good results in the next two games.”