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What's the story?
The Indian football team, despite its recent loss at the hands of the Kyrgyz Republic in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, rose two places in the FIFA Rankings to take the 97th spot in the April 2018 update.
In case you didn't know...
Indian football has had a brilliant time over the last couple of years, with the Blue Tigers going on a 13-match unbeaten run against a number of higher ranked countries like Puerto Rico, Mauritius, and other such countries.
However, that magnificent run had to come to an end one day, and that is exactly what happened last month when Stephen Constantine's men lost out to the Kyrgyz Republic by a 2-1 margin in Bishkek.
The heart of the matter
India have long been hovering around the bottom echelons of the FIFA rankings (below 150s). However, Constantine's introduction to the national team as the head coach seems to have done wonders for them.
Not only did the Blue Tigers go on a 13-match unbeaten run (which is no mean feat in international football), they also manage to finish to finish top of their 2019 AFC Cup Group A. While Sunil Chhetri and co had already assured themselves of a spot int he 2019 AFC Asian Cup, they would still have been looking to finish top of their group,something that they managed despite the loss, thanks to an away goal.
What's next?
With the Asian qualifiers over, the Indian national team will now look to spend 2018 as a preparatory year, ahead of the continental tournament next season. The AIFF has already planned a four-nation tournament, which would consist of some of the higher-ranked sides like New Zealand and South Africa.
Author's take:
Rankings may not always be an accurate measure of how good a team is, and one must judge the team based on its performance. However, Constantine has delivered the performances over the years, and must be given time to turn the Kyrgyzstan result around.
