Sunil Chhetri takes to Twitter to thank fans for overwhelming support

The Indian skipper marked his big day with a match-winning brace against the Harambee Stars.

India notched up their second win in the Intercontinental Cup against Kenya with a 3-0 scoreline and the atmosphere at the Mumbai Football Arena was simply electrifying to the say the least.

Last Saturday, Sunil Chhetri posted an emotional video that went viral all over the internet, where the Indian captain pleaded with football fans in Mumbai and around the country to come to the stadium.

In response to the video, the Mumbai Football Arena was completely booked hours before the game started. The fans did not disappoint the Indian skipper as they filled the stands with several banners on the auspicious occasion of Chhetri's 100th appearance for India.

We promise you that if that’s the kind of support we get every time we play for the country, we will give our lives on the pitch. India, this night was special because we were in this together. Those in the stands shouting, and the ones at home cheering - thank you!

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) June 4, 2018

Although, rain tried to play spoilsport in the first half, the fans kept backing the Blue Tigers throughout the match. India did take their time to find their feet in the game, but when they did it was their talismanic forward Chhetri, who again rose to the occasion and scored a brace on his 100th appearance.

The Kenyans had a fair share of chances to score themselves, but they were wasteful in the final third. Chhetri's brace and Jeje Lalpekhlua's stunning goal in between helped India cruise past Kenya in Chhetri's century appearance celebration.

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Following the match, the Indian captain once again took to Twitter to thank all the fans who turned up and celebrated Indian football on the day. He promised the fans that the team will always play their heart out on the field if the fans back them like they did on Monday.

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Marking this great day for the Indian skipper, the legendary duo of Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan were present at the game. The legends felicitated the 33-year-old striker for this remarkable feat at the start of the game.

With the two goals against Kenya, Chhetri inched closer to Lionel Messi in the top active international scorers' list. The Indian skipper now has 61 goals for India, compared to Messi's tally of 64 who is in the second place behind Cristiano Ronaldo (81) in the pole position.