India kick off International Cup against Chinese Taipei

India did extremely well to qualify in the AFC Asian Cup finals by beating Macau 7-1 on aggregate over two legs last year. And coach Stephen Constantine has remained determined not to lose the momentum going into the big stage next year. For their warm-up games, namely, the International Champions Cup, India have invited some of the strongest sides in Asia to remain on their feet with Constantine ensuring that all the opponents have different challenges to come up with.

“The Intercontinental Cup is a very important tournament for our progression and development. It is good that New Zealand are coming as they have a strong team. Chinese Taipei have improved in the last four-five months and the Kenyans will be strong and physical. In fact, any team from Africa will be a challenge for us," he said, reported PTI.

The tournament would follow a league-cum-qualification format wherein all the four teams would be playing against each other, before the top two teams compete in the final that would be held on June 10. Currently ranked 97 in the world, the Indian team has been on a glorious 12-match unbeaten streak over a span that extended from June 2016 to November 2017. The match would start with India taking on Chinese Taipei and Kenya taking on New Zealand.