Sunil Chhetri returns as India face Maldives in crucial friendly

The returning Sunil Chhetri will be the cynosure of all eyes as India face Maldives in an international friendly here on Wednesday, the match serving as a dress rehearsal for the all-important AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh at the same venue in less than a week's time.

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The 40-year-old Chhetri came out of his international retirement earlier this month to help the team successfully navigate the qualifiers for the continent's top football tournament, starting with the March 25 clash.

The preparatory match for Manolo Marquez's side marks a historic moment as the Blue Tigers will play in the football-crazy hill town for the first time. It will also be India's all-time top scorer Chhetri's first match since announcing his return to international football.

In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Marquez said, "It is the first time we are playing here, but I have worked with a lot of coaches and players from here. I knew it's a very nice place. "I remember when I watched the Durand Cup in Shillong last year, I said, "Wow, the ground, crowd, atmosphere, everything is nice." I'm not joking, I said it'd be great if one day, the national team could play here."