Leicester City's star Hamza Choudhary receives a grand welcome in Bangladesh ahead of important clash against India

The AFC Asian Cup qualifiers are set to begin in the March International FIFA Window. The Indian national team is set to face Bangladesh in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers for a chance to book its place in the pinnacle footballing event of Asian football. India is set to begin its campaign against Bangladesh on March 25th.

The current Bangladesh side is going to be a tough challenge for the Blue Tigers as they have included their origin players to bolster their national side. Of this list of original players, a player to watch out for will be Premier League club Leicester City's midfielder Hamza Choudhary. The midfielder has joined the Bangladesh training camp and will travel to India for the much-anticipated fixture.

Hamza Choudhary received a grand welcome in Bangladesh 

He received a warm welcome at the airport and later greeted a large number of fans who came out to see their biggest national star. Hamza plays for Sheffield United, a Championship (English second-division) club, having joined them on loan from Premier League side Leicester City in January.

Hamza featured in Sheffield United's last victory against Sheffield in the 'Steel City Derby' on March 16th. He recognises the India- Bangladesh fixture as a 'fierce local derby.' Hamza even promised the Bangladeshi fans that they would emerge victorious in their upcoming matches against India. He changed his allegiance from England to Bangladesh in 2024. He has the experience of representing England at Under 21 and 23 levels.

A Test for the Blue Tigers 

India's national team had a very forgetful year in 2024 where they didn't manage to salvage a single victory and had to bring back legend Sunil Chhetri out of retirement to give them a better chance against a rejuvenated Bangladeshi side. India has not tasted victory since November 2023, when they defeated Kuwait 1-0 in round 2 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. 

India cannot emulate its neighbours and bring in PIO and OCI players to bolster the national side since the Indian government does not permit the inclusion of such candidates unless they give up their foreign citizenship. It remains to be seen whether India can punch above their weight to get an important win against the star-laden Bangladeshi side come March 25th.