India vs Tajikistan LIVE: Updates, scores, commentary from the CAFA Nations Cup

India vs Tajikistan at the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup heralds the beginning of a new chapter in Indian football history - as Khalid Jamil takes charge of the senior men's national team for the first time. You can follow all the action in our live blog, below:

It is the first time in over 13 years that an Indian will be in charge of the national team and Jamil will hope to get off to a promising start at the Hisor Central Stadium in Tajikistan.

The hosts represent tough opponents however, as they have risen quickly in Asian football with excellent results, such as a quarterfinal run in the 2023 Asian Cup in their debut appearance. It has seen their FIFA ranking rise to 106, and they can expect to provide plenty of competition to Asia's best on their day.

India, currently, are amongst Asia's worst and will have their task cut out for them. Jamil acknowledges the difficulty, but hopes that unity will carry India through, saying "They are a strong side and have done well recently. But we must focus on our own game and be mentally prepared. It is important for us to play as a unit and keep improving every match. The process will take time. We want to focus on both the juniors and the seniors to build a strong unit for the future matches."

Jamil's focus on looking at the future is perhaps an indication of what he expects from the three games in Tajikistan - featuring high quality Asian opposition. It's also indicative of India being without a plethora of their best players since Mohun Bagan SG refused to release them.

Jamil's focus remains on the result, and that might lend a clue to the sort of football we can expect from this game, with the coach saying "We must think fresh, we must think positive. Yes, this is an away game against a good team, but we have to prepare accordingly and think only of one thing - a positive result. All the players must take responsibility. I feel that we are ready to accept this challenge."

Spreading the responsibility has meant that Jamil has named three captains - Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, in a departure from India's past. The Sunil Chhetri-shaped hole might be filled by the man himself later, with Jamil keeping the door open for his return, but opting to try out new combinations in this tournament.

India are placed in Group B alongside Tajikistan, Iran and Afghanistan, with the group winners going on to play the final on September 8, while the runner's up will contest for third place on the same day.