By IANS,
New Delhi : India’s ace striker Sunil Chettri will lead the national football team in their opening game of the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 qualifiers against Chinese Taipei at the MBPJ Stadium in Kuala Lumpur Monday.
Coach Bob Houghton decided to give the captain’s armband to Chettri in the absence of Bhaichung Bhutia, who has been left out of the squad with an injury.
During the 2011 Asian Cup in January, Climax Lawrence led the side as Bhutia spent most of the time warming the bench and started only against South Korea.
Chettri, however, played well in the Asian Cup and scored twice against Bahrain and South Korea.
In fact it was Chhetri’s hat-trick in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup finals that helped India win the tournament and get a direct entry into the 2011 Asian Cup.