'I am hitting my peak' - Sunil Chhetri after India qualifies for AFC Asian Cup 2023

After scoring an incredible free-kick against Afganisthan on the weekend to help seal India's spot in the 2023 AFC Asia Cup and scoring another goal in a 4-0 win over Hong Kong on Tuesday, Sunil Chhetri believes he's hitting his peak right now. Chhetri, who helped India qualify for its second straight Asia Cup for the first time with seven goals, praised his teammates and fans following the 4-0 win yesterday. The third-highest international goalscorer among active players, Chhetri moved to 84 goals after scoring in Tuesday's win over Hong Kong. The 2021 Khel Ratna Winner is now tied with the great Ferenc Puskas for international goals and only two behind Lionel Messi.

Conditions weren't ideal with a thunderstorm. However, the fans in Kolkata still showed support in numbers. Chhetri was impressed with the support as he said, "The kind of form we are in, we would have loved to play at home. It would be great to play here because the fans are coming up and supporting us in numbers." The host for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup is still undecided after China had to pull out due to the COVID restrictions in the country.

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Chhetri also praised the rise of youngsters in the national team. "The kids are just amazing. They'll probably kill me for calling kids. The boys are fantastic. We have the right mix of senior and junior players in the dressing room. You've also got Liston [Colaco] and Suresh [Wangjam] along with Akash [Mishra] and Roshan [Singh], who have been brilliant," he added, reports ANI.

"A lot of youngsters coming up, and Ishan [Pandita] has been outstanding in training too, and look what he did today. Ishan and Sahal [Abdul Samad] are two players who deserve nights like this," said Chhetri.