India vs Nepal, SAFF Championship 2021Getty Images

'Unbeaten in 9 games' - What are India's longest unbeaten runs in the last 11 years?

India remained unbeaten en route to a record eighth SAFF Championship title. The Blue Tigers finished the job off in style, beating Nepal 3-0 in the final of the tournament.

After two disappointing draws against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Igor Stimac's side came back strongly and defeated Nepal and Maldives in their final two round-robin fixtures before beating Nepal again in the final. With these five matches, Stimac's men extended their unbeaten run to nine matches in international games.

The last time they lost a match was against reigning Asian champions Qatar 1-0 in a 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifying game on June 3, 2021, in Doha. Since then, they won five matches and drew four.

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The Blue Tigers played Bangladesh twice, winning once and drawing once. They faced Nepal four times out of which they won three. They also faced Afghanistan and Sri Lanka which ended in draws.

This is the second-best unbeaten run India have experienced in the last 11 years. Their best was under Stephen Constantine when they went without a loss in 12 matches from June 2016 to March 2018.

India vs Nepal, SAFF Championship 2021Getty Images

Here, we take a look at India's best unbeaten runs in the last 11 years.

What are India's longest unbeaten runs in the last 11 years?

TenureMatchesOpponentsIndia coach
Dec 3, 2011 - Feb 23, 20125Afghanistan (1-1), Bhutan (5-0), Sri Lanka (3-0), Maldives (3-1), Afghanistan (4-0)Savio Medeira
Nov 12, 2015 - Jan 3, 20165Guam (1-0), Sri Lanka (2-0), Nepal (4-1), Maldives (3-2), Afghanistan (2-1)Stephen Constantine
Jun 2, 2016 - Mar 27, 201812Laos (1-0, 6-1), Puerto Rico (4-1), Cambodia (3-2), Myanmar (1-0, 2-2), Nepal (2-0), Kyrgyz Republic (1-0), Mauritius (2-1), Saint Kitts and Nevis (1-1), Macau (2-0, 4-1)Stephen Constantine
Jun 7, 2021 - Present9Bangladesh (2-0, 1-1), Afghanistan (1-1), Nepal (1-1, 2-1, 1-0, 3-0), Sri Lanka (0-0), Maldives (3-1)Igor Stimac

*Only unbeaten runs with five or more matches are considered

India's nine-match unbeaten run under Igor Stimac

DateMatchCompetitionVenue
June 7, 2021Bangladesh 0-2 India2022 World Cup qualifiersDoha
June 15, 2021India 1-1 Afghanistan2022 World Cup qualifiersDoha
September 2, 2021Nepal 1-1 IndiaInternational friendlyKathmandu
September 5, 2021Nepal 1-2 IndiaInternational friendlyKathmandu
October 4, 2021Bangladesh 1-1 IndiaSAFF Championship 2021Male
October 7, 2021India 0-0 Sri LankaSAFF Championship 2021Male
October 10, 2021Nepal 0-1 IndiaSAFF Championship 2021Male
October 13, 2021India 3-1 MaldivesSAFF Championship 2021Male
October 16, 2021India 3-0 NepalSAFF Championship 2021Male
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