<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/2026-fifa-world-cup-qualifier-india-eye-goals-in-sunil-chhetri-150th-international-appearance-23341498" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Sunil Chhetri</a> did not need anyone to tutor him on what he had to do on a football pitch but the same can&rsquo;t be said of the talismanic Indian striker when it came to things he was not supposed to do as a player in his early days.
That&rsquo;s where the role of Sukhwinder Singh, the former India player and Chhetri&rsquo;s first coach in international football, assumed significance.
On the eve of his 150th match for India, the veteran recalled the contributions made by the affable Sukhwinder who &ldquo;turned the little boy in me into a man.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;I think when I played under him, that was the right time to do so for me. Again, with the benefit of hindsight, I think I did the right thing. I learned a lot as to what not to do as a player on the pitch, and <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/sunil-chhetri-from-sukhi-sir-i-learned-a-lot-as-to-what-not-to-do-on-pitch-23341495" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Sukhi Sir</a> has had a massive role in teaching me things. He allowed me to do the things that came naturally to me,&rdquo; Chhetri told the-aiff.com.
Chhetri might be an ice-cool presence on the field now, but Sukhwinder played a big role in instilling that calmness in him. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t exactly the thing that a lot of people associate with me today. They call me &lsquo;Captain Cool&rsquo;, but I wasn&rsquo;t always so cool and calm. I was quite mischievous, I was quite haywire.
&ldquo;I tried a lot of things on and off the pitch. He helped me understand what serious football is, and with the help of others who came later as well, he had a massive role in turning that little boy in me into a man.&rdquo;
In the two decades since making his international debut against Pakistan in Quetta, Chhetri has gone on to become one of India&rsquo;s all-time greatest footballers, though he is not the fearless player he once was. At 39, he is a different footballer but the hunger for goals remains.
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On the eve of his 150th match for India v Afghanistan, Sunil reveals he started off as a mischievous youngster but experience made him calm over the years

Chhetri: I wasn't captain cool then

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Chhetri: I wasn't captain cool then

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