With India’s destiny on the line, Khalid Jamil demands fire: ‘Attack from the start, believe till the end’

Indian football coach Khalid Jamil walked into the room casually, in his own inimitable style, and spoke in the way he always has: just a few words, small sentences, a breathless spurt of words, and as little detail as possible. But whatever he spoke had one thing in common — it had conviction, defiance, and belief. India’s AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers campaign is teetering on the brink . A victory for Hong Kong against Bangladesh would be game over if the Blue Tigers fail to beat the Singaporeans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Tuesday.

The 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Singapore four days back away from home has left India with very little option, and sitting in the press conference room adjacent to the pitch where his players would be fighting for survival on 14 October, Jamil issued the rallying cry on the eve of the game, leaving no room for hesitation: his team, he said, must play with courage and conviction.

“In football, you can’t look at the FIFA rankings,” Jamil told this reporter in the press conference. “We have to think positively. They’re a good side, they played very well at their home ground and it was difficult to beat them. But this time it’s our home ground. We’ll try to do our best, stay positive, and go for a positive result.”

Jamil demands positivity ahead of India’s must-win match 

A football coach carrying the brand of a crisis man, Jamil and his teams have mostly always been looking to avoid defeats. But here he finds himself in a different position. It’s back-against-the-wall, but nothing less than a victory may suffice. His opening quotes of playing “positive” football and playing an “attacking” game were well crafted to set the tone in the Indian camp. Jamil knows that momentum and mindset often decide matches more than numbers ever do.

When asked about the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defender Subhasish Bose and midfielder Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte joining the team after missing the away match, he explained his reasoning with typical candour. “We required them, especially Subhashish. We don’t have another left-centre back after Sandesh Jhingan’s red card,” he said. “Apuia, I think, deserved to be back because of his experience. I’ve seen his game, it was good, and we felt this was the right time to use him.”

The inevitable question came quickly. In case we beat Singapore, the third-placed India may still need to string together four straight wins when they haven’t won any so far in Group C. Jamil refused to indulge in hypotheticals. “We must belief that we can win. I feel that we must have positive thinking, and anything can happen in football. We are thinking about tomorrow’s game — that’s the most important. Go step by step.”

On a question over 41-year-old Sunil Chhetri’s future, the 48-year-old former India midfielder reiterated that his focus is firmly fixed on the next 90 minutes. “I’m thinking about tomorrow’s game,” he said. “We need him tomorrow. After that, we’ll talk about it later.”

If there was one message Jamil wanted drilled into his players’ minds, it was for them to attack with intent. “It is an important game,” Jamil stressed. “As I told the boys, we have to think positively and attack from the start. How we played the last game with ten players — we must continue that spirit. But this time we have one player more, and we’re playing at home. So it’ll be very good for us to start that way.”

He added that the gritty 1-1 draw in Singapore , achieved despite being a man down, has injected belief into the side. “Yeah, we get more confidence,” Jamil admitted. “We got a good point, but this time, at home, we must think positively. We must take that confidence and play as a team.”

Jamil accepts his mistake from Singapore draw

One of the most classic Jamil moments came when he accepted that starting the inexperienced Nikhil Prabhu and Macarton Nickson was a mistake on his part. “They played very good, according to the instructions I gave,” he said. “But the control wasn’t good enough on the field, so I made an early change in the second half.”

But that’s the past. It’s time to write a new chapter and Jamil knows fans can help him do that. “Yes, I’m expecting fans to come and support India,” Jamil said. “This is our country. We must support our team, and the more we get, the better for us.”

In many ways, Jamil’s press conference had everything that defines his managerial legacy. He didn’t shy away from accepting his mistake, but also never blamed his players. He constantly demanded unity, accountability, and, for a change, positivity.

When the players step onto the pitch tomorrow, Jamil’s rallying cry must echo in their ears — with the fans behind them, attack from the start and believe till the end.