Jamal's heartfelt tribute to Chhetri

Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuiyan posted a heartfelt tribute to India's retiring captain Sunil Chhetri on his official Facebook page today, terming the India captain an inspiration for his country and wishing him all the best.

Chhetri announced on Thursday that he will retire from international football after the FIFA World Cup qualification match against Kuwait on June 6.

The national team captain shared his decision in a video posted on his social media accounts. Chhetri has played 150 matches for India, scoring 94 goals in a career spanning 20 years.

Jamal has been representing Bangladesh for more than a decade and faced India many a time, including the famous 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifying fixture in Kolkata in 2019. The Bangladesh captain's duel with his India counterpart made the headlines after Chhetri, who scored six times against Bangladesh in his career, was nullified by Jamal.

The Bangladesh captain's post, which was accompanied by a number of photos of the two captains together, stated:

"Had some epic battles against you. Before the match would start, we would always talk about how clever you were inside the box.

"You've served and inspired your country in such a great way. I wished your final match for India could be in Bangladesh against Bangladesh.

"Wishing you all the best Sunil."