Igor Stimac says Indian football is "definitely out of its slumber" but the outspoken coach warned against big expectations at the Asian Cup, starting on Jan 12 in Qatar.
Football has struggled to find its feet in the cricket-obsessed nation of 1.4 billion people, with former Fifa president Sepp Blatter once calling India "a sleeping giant" of the sport.
Former West Ham United and Derby County defender Stimac was appointed coach in May 2019 and India briefly broke into the top 100 of Fifa's world rankings for only the second time in nearly three decades.
They are now 102nd, a spot below Kosovo, which has below two million people, and rank 18th in Asia.
"A giant is definitely out of its slumber now," declared Stimac, before cautioning: "But I reckon it will take us another four years to enter the top 10 in Asia."
Under the former Croatia international, India qualified for the Asian Cup with three wins from three against Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia, scoring eight times and conceding once as hosts in the third round.
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