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What's the story?
Indian football team's 2-2 draw against Myanmar has extended their unbeaten streak to 13 thus maintaining their number one position in the list of most number of consecutive days spent without losing a match in international football. This record is for active unbeaten streaks only.
Incidentally, India are ahead of Germany and Belgium in terms of most number of days that they have spent with this unbeaten record.
In case you didn't know...
India's draw against Myanmar was the 13th game in a row that the Blue Tigers were unbeaten in FIFA competitions. India have won 11 out of their last 13 games over 728 days, followed by Germany, who are unbeaten in their last 21 matches, spanning over 628 days.
Belguim are third on this count, having spent 572 days in their unbeaten streak.
The heart of the matter
Indian football's long streak of unbeaten games has been the major cause of their success in the last couple of years, with the rankings rising above 100 for the first time in two decades, earlier this year. The Blue Tigers secured their AFC Asian Cup qualification for the 2019 edition of the continental championship.
Stephen Constantine has managed to build a side that has achieved success over the recent years, owing to a great influx of promising youngsters from across the nation. The balance of the side in terms of youth and experience has been well managed by the English manager. The captain, Sunil Chhetri, also has been a key factor in the rise, leading the side from the front and responding whenever called upon with crucial goals.
What's next?
The Indian players will now get involved in the national leagues, ISL and I-League, over the course of next few months. India's next international fixture will be against the Kyrgyz Republic on March 27, 2018, in the Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Author's take
The Indian team's steak is certainly a matter of pride for the fans across the country. Staying unbeaten for such a long course of time is not an easy feat, and we hope the Men in Blue can keep on extending the streak, creating more records.
