"I will always tell them not to blame anyone else" - Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri's message to striking duo Rahim Ali and Ishan Pandita

With two goals in the Intercontinental Cup and five in the SAFF Championship, Sunil Chhetri, unsurprisingly, ended as India's brightest attacking prospect with seven goals. Even though he is 38, the national team skipper played eight of the nine matches, including two consecutive knockout games that spanned 120 minutes.

The lack of rest for the talismanic forward during this spell of matches surprised many. Although Chhetri stressed multiple times throughout the period that he was hungry to start every match, for the backup striking options Ishan Pandita and Rahim Ali, it would've been important to get crucial minutes under their belt.

But Pandita missed a major chunk of the matches in the international window because of his injury while Rahim looked largely out of touch.

Asked by Sportskeeda during an AIFF-organized press conference on Sunday on what would be the veteran forward's message to the young attacking duo, Chhetri underlined:

"See the message, I've already given it to them personally. But as a captain, it was quite unfortunate to lose Ishan (because of injury) because he was doing quite well. Rahim is a specimen, and he works really hard. The Number 9 position is a very specific job and the issue is, that the poor kid (Rahim) played on the right and left as a midfielder for his club and he did well.

"But when he came to the national team, we want him to play as a Number 9. But it's difficult because the runs that you've to make while playing at that position are more habitual. The more you do it, the more you understand. At the end of the day, you've to be at the places where you can score. That's why Rahim's finding it a little difficult but it's not because he is not trying."

However, Chhetri was quick to specify that the onus was on Rahim, Pandita, and even Manvir Singh, who had previously played in that central striker role for the country, to secure the No. 9 spot at their respective clubs.

"Our talks, not just mine but even the team's, is that we hope they can go back to their clubs and cement their place as the No. 9 there. I will always tell them not to blame anyone else. Don't say 'Mujhe coach nahi khila raha', 'The management..", and all that. You have to keep knocking at the door. If you want to be a Number 9 at club level then make sure you leave no stone unturned," the Indian football legend advised.

"Yes, we can judge their game right now and say they weren't great but we have to understand it's not easy for a kid like Rahim Ali to play as a winger for his club and suddenly become the No. 9 for his country. What he does have is all the attributes and the support of everyone at the camp. Igor Stimac loves Rahim and really supports him. But the onus is on him, Ishan, and even Manvir. You can talk about the best wingers in the world, the Vinicius, the Salah, but it's not easy for them to play in the No. 9 role and be as effective. That's the reality," Chhetri added.

But with the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs spending outrageous amounts to secure the signature of overseas forwards, the dreams of Rahim Ali and Ishan Pandita to become the No. 9s at the club level might evolve into an insurmountable task.

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"It is a big concern" - Sunil Chhetri on India's attacking output in the final third

India's attack has not just been hindered by the absence of Ishan Pandita or the lackluster form of Rahim Ali, but also the indecisiveness in the final third. Despite creating ample of chances, the forwards failed to bury home those chances.

Asked during the presser what was one area he would want the Blue Tigers to improve on, Sunil Chhetri replied:

"One concern that we had as we were playing teams against whom we got a lot of chances, and our conversion rate was probably the poorest among all the other attributes of the game. All things like the defensive numbers, attacking corners, and time management were decent. Yes, we can still improve on them but the number of chances we created compared to the final finishing was probably the poorest part of your game in totality.

"It is a big concern because going forward, let's suppose against Iran or Uzbekistan, you are not going to get that many chances. So it's paramount to take those chances whenever they come. It also gives confidence to our defensive unit. That's one part we have to work hard on."

With the AFC Asian Cup now a little over six months away, the fine-tuning has to be accelerated.

Hence, while the success in the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship brings great delight, all the sweat, blood, and tear needs to be channeled into escalating these performances to the level where India can leave a mark in the marquee continental competition.