AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The India U23 men’s national team are all set for their second friendly match in Tajikistan, against the Kyrgyz Republic at the Hisor Central Stadium in Hisor, on Saturday, June 21, 2025. The match will kick off at 20.30 IST.

India played their first friendly against Tajikistan earlier this week, suffering a 2-3 defeat against the hosts. However, the Blue Colts are prepared to bounce back against Kyrgyz Republic.

Head coach Naushad Moosa said on the eve of the match, “We understand how important it is to Indian football, right now, that we perform well against Kyrgyz Republic. It’s not about winning or losing. What matters is that we play good football, and the results will follow.

“We could have won our last game. We took the lead on two occasions, and conceded two late goals on set-pieces. The boys created a lot of chances, and we barely let them create anything on open play, so the signs are all good,” said Moosa. “The coaching staff has worked with the players on various aspects, so let’s hope we can come up with good things in the next game.”

The match against Kyrgyz Republic, however, may be a different proposition altogether, as they are a more prepared team.

“It will be different in this match, because they (Kyrgyz Republic) have been preparing together for a year now. I’m sure that was not the case with Tajikistan,” he said.

Midfielder Ayush Chhetri received his marching orders in the match against Tajikistan for two bookable offences, and will be suspended for the match against Kyrgyz Republic. Moosa, however, is not concerned about the playmaker’s absence.

“We have good midfielders. It’s also our intention to give equal amount of time to as many players as we can. Since it’s a friendly, rotating also helps me understand the level of the game they can play,” he said. “So the suspension should not make much of a difference.

Forward Suhail Ahmad Bhat, who scored India’s first goal against Tajikistan, believes that the Blue Colts left a good impression after their last match.

“International games such as these are always difficult, but let’s see how it goes. Everyone’s been working hard, and we are positive about a good result, especially after our last match,” he said.

Bhat had made his senior international debut earlier this month, when he replaced Ashique Kuruniyan in the FIFA International Friendly against Thailand on June 4. The 20-year-old forward believes that his time with the Blue Tigers gave him valuable experience.

“Yes, it was a good experience. Not just for me, but for Abhishek (Singh Tekcham) and Ayush (Chhetri) as well.  When we play alongside top players, we get to learn a lot,” said Bhat. “I personally learned a lot from (Sunil) Chhetri-bhai, on poaching and scoring goals. It’s definitely a positive thing for me to bring those learnings from the senior team.”