Chhetri wants to play

Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri wants to play a part in next month's SAFF Cup tournament to be held in Bangladesh.

"It's not a declaration but I think I have had enough of SAFF," the 34-year-old footballer said. 

"I was fortunate to play SAFF three or four times. I am not declaring anything right now but I had a chat with the coach and he said he wants to bring a lot of junior players which I think is a very good thing," Chhetri told the media in Kolkata yesterday.

Defending champions India have won the SAFF title seven times and would start as favourites when Bangladesh host the event for the third time from September 4 to 15.

"It's not trying to demean the other teams in the SAFF region. It's a great opportunity for the youngsters to come to the table and show the coach that they also have potential. I think even with the Under-23 team, we are very strong in the SAFF region. I hope they do well and we retain the championship," Chhetri said.