Unity Cup: Blue Tigers return to UK soil after 24 years for four-nation meet

India's 'Blue Tigers', whose last international fixture was a dead rubber in an AFC Asian Cup qualifier in March, have returned to English soil after 24 years — this time for a four-nation Unity Cup at The Valley, London. Later tonight, they take on Jamaica for the semi-final while the other teams in the fray are Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

The last time the senior Indian men’s team played on English soil was in 2002, also against Jamaica, when the sides met twice in friendly matches in Watford and Wolverhampton. This time around, the invitation tournament offers the team guided by Khalid Jamil a unique opportunity to test themselves against higher-ranked opposition from the opposite ends of the globe.

The winners of the semi-finals will advance to the final on 30 May while the remaining teams will contest the third-place play-off on the same day. ‘’We have selected players who performed well in the ISL. Based on that, we will continue to build the team and whoever performs well gets selected,” the head coach said. 

The Blue Tigers arrived in London on Sunday with 17 players after the withdrawal of Mohun Bagan SG players. Goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari joined a day later while Jamil has also called up midfielder Macarton Nickson and defender Nikhil Barla, who reached the camp on Tuesday.

Forward Edmund Lalrindika, a member of the ISL champions East Bengal, felt that the tournament represents both exposure and an important benchmark for the team’s progress. “This is a very good exposure for us and a great experience. It is an opportunity to test ourselves against higher-ranked teams. We will try our best to get positive results,’’ said Lalrindika.

The 27-year-old also called on the Indian expats to rally behind the team in London. “To all the Indian fans, I hope they come in big numbers and support us,” he said. 

Currently ranked 136th in the FIFA chart, India enter the contest as underdogs against a 71st-ranked Jamaica side that came within a game of qualifying for the upcoming World Cup. The Reggae Boyz lost to DR Congo in the qualifying play-offs in March.

“It is very good for us to be here and play in this tournament,’’ said Jamil, before adding:  ‘’Jamaica are definitely a stronger team, but we will try our best to do well. It is important for us to make a good start. We are focused on the opening match. Then we will think about the next game. We want to go step by step,’’ said Jamil.

Jamaica, however, have arrived with one of the youngest squads in the competition, carrying an average age of 22.8 years. Some experienced names in the Jamaican squad include captain and defender Damion Lowe, right-back Dexter Lembikisa, defender Joel Latibeaudiere, a member of the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup in India in England colours and midfielder Isaac Hayden.