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Kerala Blasters host league leaders Bengaluru FC in Kochi on Friday.
After 151 matches and 94 goals, the Indian captain has retired from international football.
The Real Madrid and Croatia great had a video message for Indian captain Chhetri who will retire after the match against Kuwait on Thursday.
A win on Thursday will almost guarantee the Indian team a maiden appearance in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Chhetri will be hoping to end his glorious international career on a high against Kuwait.
'The retirement decision was not because of physical aspect, I am still fit, running, chasing, defending, the hard work is not difficult, the reason is to do with mental aspect,' said Chhetri during a virtual interaction.
Chhetri, who made his debut in 2005, has scored 94 goals for the country. He will leave the scene as India's all-time top-scorer and most-capped player.
Disaster struck the Indians when a charging Gurpreet Singh was shown a yellow card and Sharif Mukhammad converted the resultant penalty to give his team a 2-1 lead with just two minutes left in regulation time.
Chhetri will become the 40th player in the world to play 150 or more international matches when he takes the field against Afghanistan.
Jeakson Singh and Glan Martins missed out due to fitness issues.
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