The noise from the stands at the Mumbai Football Arena made up for patches of empty seats before the kickoff at Sunil Chhetri’s 100th match.
Deafening chants of ‘India' were punctuated with loud applause. Fans showed solidarity with Team India by singing the national anthem, in sync with the musical version played on the public address system.
Chhetri received a memento from former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia, who was sporting a No. 100 jersey with Chhetri's name on it to commemorate the special occassion.
READ: I. M. Vijayan: 'Sunil Chhetri is irreplaceable'
Chhetri was also given a guard of honour by his team-mates as his wife and parents watched from the stands.
“I never thought this would become so big. When you are representing the national team, you deserve an audience,” Chhetri said before the start of the game.
Chhetri is the country’s leading scorer with 60* goals from 100 games, placing him third in the world’s leading scorer’s list. He is only the second Indian after former skipper Bhaichung to appear in 100 international games.
Anil Kumar said that he was inspired by the video and came to watch the game from Ghaziabad, a township near Delhi.
Another fan, Adam Cardoz, said that it was because of Chhetri's video that he decided to come and watch the game.
Adam, with his friends, came all the way from Badlapur, Thane to cheer for Chhetri. Suffice to say, the fans made it a memorable outing for the host.
(Chhetri's tally updated after his 100th appearance against Kenya on Monday)
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