Goal drought worries Rahul Bheke, new Blue Tigers captain after Chettri

The Indian football fan has been used to seeing Sunil Chettri with the captain’s armband for far too long. However, the change of regime now means a new captain in senior defender Rahul Bheke – along with new coach Manolo Marquez – and the former is well aware that it could be a crown of thorns.    

“When the coach finally handed me the captain’s armband before the match (Intercontinental Cup) in the dressing room, it was more a sense of responsibility than happiness,” Bheke said about the moment when he was named the leader ahead of their first game against Mauritius in the Intercontinental Cup in Hyderabad.

While it was a special moment for the India centreback, the 33-year-old has his sights firmly set on the Blue Tigers qualifying for what could be their third back-to-back Asian Cup finals. An undercooked Indian team failed to beat Mauritius in the first game as their goalless draw left Marquez fuming, and the second game in the three-team affair against Syria on Monday will not be easy either.

Speaking to the AIFF media team, Bheke, who plays for Bengaluru FC said: “From the first meeting itself, the coach told us about the main goal, which is in March, the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. We have to reach there with a clear mind of what we must do and execute it. He told us that through the September, October, and November FIFA international windows, the coaches would keep feeding us information, which ultimately needs to reflect on what we do on the pitch in March.

“The good thing is that all the boys are soaking in the information, and hopefully we will be fully prepared when March comes.”

While qualifying for the Asian Cup is one of the Blue Tigers’ key targets, the actual objective goes far beyond it. “We’ve built a good base by qualifying for the last two Asian Cups, something that India have never done before. The coaches have made it clear to us that in order to ensure progress, we as a team need to negotiate the group stage through to the knockout rounds,” said Bheke.

For Bheke, who made his debut in 2019, India’s lack of prowess before the goalmouth has become a headache. India have scored only two goals in the eight matches that they have played in 2024 so far. With captain and prolific striker Sunil Chhetri having hung up his boots, questions have risen as to who will take up the mantle of the scorer-in-chief.

Collective responsibility

Bheke believes that it is more a matter of the team, rather than any individual, working together to fill in the boots. “It’s important to score, but it’s not just on the strikers. The midfielders, and defenders also play a vital part in attack. Strikers may not be able to score in every match, and that is when defenders like Anwar (Ali), Mehtab (Singh), Sana (Chinglensana Singh), and myself can take some responsibility in set-pieces and help the team out,” said Bheke.

“Those are big boots to fill in, for Sunil Chhetri, but if we all work together as a team, we can do it.”