India senior football team captain Sunil Chhetri has advised against burdening the U-17 Indian team with "unfair expectations" ahead of the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup, scheduled to be played between October 6 and 28 in India.

This is the first time India will feature in the final round of a FIFA World Cup tournament, and a 21-member squad headed by Manipur midfielder Amarjit Singh Kiyam will be part of history when it takes on the United States of America in the Group A opener on October 6 in New Delhi.

The country's poor grassroot structure meant the All India Football Federation had to be involved in extensive scouting to assemble the U-17 squad for the global showpiece event.

India's scouting team, which worked closely with former coach Nicolai Adam, had reportedly looked at more than 14,000 players from across the country. NRI players from Dubai, Canada and the United States were also considered.

However, the preparation for the high-profile tournament took a hit when Adam was sacked in January. There was a lot of pressure on incoming coach Luis Norton de Matos, but the Portuguese tactician seems to have done a decent job in moulding the U-17 side.

'Make the most of every minute'

"The boys are at an age where this experience will be all that matters. It's of no use to go into the tournament with any sort of pressure and we should not burden them with unfair expectations," Chhetri told the Hindustan Times.

He added: "The stage is big and the opponents are stronger but the key here is to make the most of every minute of the tournament. The boys need to go out there, put in to action all they have been training for and soak in all the lessons the Cup will teach them. The results will take care of themselves."

Sunil Chhetri
File photo of Chhetri during the official draw of U17 World Cup in JulyINDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images

Fruitful exposure trips

Notably, under former SL Benfica B coach De Matos, the colts have been to quite a few exposure trips. It all started when the U-17 tactician arranged for friendlies in Portugal in April-May. Amarjit's side even clinched an impressive draw against the Benfica U-17 team.

India also defeated an Italy U-17 XI, consisting of youth players from third and fourth division football, 2-0 before clinching positive results in the Lazio Cup.

The boys recently took part in a four-nation tournament in Mexico where they lost to Mexico and Colombia, but held Chile U1-7 to an impressive 1-1 draw.

'Step up and support'

Chettri also said this is a chance for football fans in the country to throng the stadiums in large numbers and show their support.

"It's the first time we are hosting an event of this magnitude. It's also the first time an Indian team will be taking part in a football World Cup and that is very special. For all those of us who moan that India is far behind when it comes to world football, this is a big chance to step up and support the cause," India's all-time leading scorer said.

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