Thank you for joining us on NDTV Sports for the live coverage for the India vs Mauritius match. Join us right here in six days' time, on September 9, as India take on Syria.

Until then, tune into our live coverage of Paralympics 2024, where India have already won 15 medals.

That's a wrap! Goodnight.

"It's difficult to play worse than today," says India head coach Manolo Marquez after the game. 

Sums it up.

India will next take on Syria, who are ranked 93rd in the world. A nation that was inches away from qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It will be a huge test for India.

Very few positives to take from the game. Against a weaker side on paper, a Sunil Chhetri-less India failed to score. Very few chances of note either from the men in blue.

Manolo Marquez's first match as India coach ends in a goalless draw. Not a performance to write home about. India draw with a side ranked 55 spots below them in the FIFA rankings.

FT: IND 0-0 MRI

Three minutes of stoppage time for India to start Manolo Marquez's tenure with a win.

90+1': IND 0-0 MRI

Lallianzuala Chhangte lines up a cross but before he can bring his feet down, he is dispossessed by a Mauritian midfielder. Yet more unconvincing football from India.

86' IND 0-0 MRI

Just a little over 10 minutes to go in regulation time. New coach Manolo Marquez's first match as India coach has not brought a fruitful performance yet.

Nikhil Poojary replaces Asish Rai in a direct swap at right-back.

79' IND 0-0 MRI

Chhangte sends in a curling set-piece in from the left-flank. Jay Gupta tries to reach it, but Mauritius defend well. Subhasish Bose comes on for Gupta immediately after.

72' IND 0-0 MRI

Fantastic buildup down the left by Mauritius as Asish Rai is comfortably dribbled past. A great cutback cannot be capitalized on by the striker, however. Still goalless and India hanging on.

67' IND 0-0 MRI

Mauritius is firmly the better team in the contest at the moment. Several chances being created by the men in red, although the finishing touch has not yet come. So, India survive.

63' IND 0-0 MRI

Substitute forward Adrien Botlar leaps brilliantly to beat Sana Singh in the air and get a firm header away. Once again, narrowly wide.

57' IND 0-0 MRI

Mauritius striker Quentin Lalsingh creeps in unmarked in the India box, and his low shot is narrowly wide. That is his last action, as he is taken off right after.

54' IND 0-0 MRI

Brought in to the No. 10 role, Sahal Abdul Samad is adding a new spark to the build-up play. He cuts past a couple of players before a failed cut-back, but much sharper play from India.

52' IND 0-0 MRI

A new zeal in the India build-up play after half-time. The break seems to have done the team a world of good.

50' IND 0-0 MRI

Right after half-time, Chhangte leaves his full-back for dead, runs to the byline and puts in a threatening cross. A few fumbles and scraps in the box, but Mauritius keep India at bay.

46': IND 0-0 MRI

Right after half-time, Chhangte leaves his full-back for dead, runs to the byline and puts in a threatening cross. A few fumbles and scraps in the box, but Mauritius keep India at bay.

46': IND 0-0 MRI

Manolo Marquez has taken made two big changes ahead of the second half:

OUT: Liston Colaco, Anirudh Thapa

IN: Nandhakumar Sekar, Sahal Abdul Samad

India may not be losing, but viewers could feel that India have once again underperformed against a side that is ranked 55 spots lower than them. In fact, it can be argued that Mauritius have been the brighter team.

It would be interesting to see how Manolo Marquez sends his boys out in the second half.

HT: IND 0-0 MRI

It is half time in Hyderabad. Both sides had some chances, but none concrete enough to truly test the goalkeepers. Often sloppy in possession.

HT: IND 0-0 MRI

A well-worked move by India, as Jay Gupta drills in a low cross from the left wing. However, Manvir fails to get it under control and the chance goes begging.

A few moments later, Manvir takes a frustrated shot which is blocked.

45' IND 0-0 MRI

Mauritius keep attacking. One of their midfielders make a driving run towards the right flank before lobbing a cross in. Amrinder Singh does well to collect.

43' IND 0-0 MRI

Mauritius win the ball back in the midfield and shoot once again from distance. The shot goes well wide.

It hasn't been the best performance by Apuia in the centre of the park so far.

41' IND 0-0 MRI

Mauritius nearly score a breathtaking goal. First time from the edge of the box, the shot passes inches away from Amrinder's goal.

37' IND 0-0 MRI

Manvir Singh is sent through on goal and tests the Mauritius goalkeeper with his left-footed strike. The shot is well saved, however.

35' IND 0-0 MRI

 A beautiful cross by Chhangte from the right wing, but Thapa is not able to place a good header. 

30' IND 0-0 MRI

India link up brilliantly with some quick passes on the right flank, releasing right-back Asish Rai. His final cross is cut out by Mauritius for an India corner.

26' IND 0-0 MRI

Apuia slips while in possession, giving away the ball to Mauritius. Goalkeeper Amrinder Singh is forced to come to the rescue.

25' IND 0-0 MRI

Liston Colaco had an impressive Durand Cup final a few days ago, and has earned his start on the left wing for India. Here, he tries to cut in and shoot but fires it well over.

24' IND 0-0 MRI

It hasn't been the prettiest first 20 minutes as India coach for Manolo Marquez, but India have held it together so far. The best chance came from a corner, where Sana Singh could not head in after a well worked routine.

22' IND 0-0 MRI

Neither side are able to gain control of the ball for a long time in the midfield. Long diagonals being attempted by both nations, but without much success.

19' IND 0-0 MRI

Mauritius midfielder Gabriel Caliste is only 17, and plays for West Ham United U18 in the Premier League 2 division. A future star in the making in the ranks of Mauritius.

Both sides dealing in a series of unsuccessful long balls. For India, it was left-back Jay Gupta with an unsuccessful ball forward. A corner for Mauritius is headed away.

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9' IND 0-0 MRI

Great ball by Thapa towards the near post. It is flicked on at the near post, but Chinglensana Singh arriving at the far post is unable to make contact.

7' IND 0-0 MRI

First corner for India. It will be swung in by Anirudh Thapa.

Chennaiyin FC forward Rahim Ali has taken up Sunil Chhetri's iconic No. 11 shirt. He is on the bench today, but can play as both a winger or a central striker.

Right-winger Lallianzuala Chhangte has been the best Indian player for a while now, but after Chhetri's retirement, this is his chance to become truly the new face of Indian football.

India attacking from right to left in the first half. Immediately, the Indian box under threat, and captain Bheke is forced into an early clearance.

It will be Mauritius, in red, getting us underway here in Hyderabad. 

The players are on the pitch at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad. We are moments away from kick off!

Get ready, grab your popcorn! We are ten minutes away from the start of Manolo era.

Manolo has named some interesting picks for his first XI:

- Amrinder Singh starts ahead of Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in goal.

- Rahul Bheke captains; starts at centre-back

- No space for Sahal Abdul Samad or Mehtab Singh

- Manvir Singh starts as the no. 9

The India vs Mauritius Intercontintental Cup 2024 game is taking place at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad.

This used to be Manolo Marquez's home stadium between 2020-23, when he was the manager of Hyderabad FC.

Sunil Chhetri's retirement leaves behind one gaping hole in the national team: the no. 9 position. If today's lineup is anything to go by, that role will be filled by Manvir Singh.

However, Manolo would be hoping to incorporate the likes of Liston Colaco and Lallianzuala Chhangte among the goals. Chhangte has arguably been the best Indian player, on form, in the ISL over the last two seasons.

At the age of 55, Manolo is an experienced manager. Born in Barcelona, Manolo has managed Espanyol B, as well as La Liga side Las Palmas for 6 games in the 2016-17 season.

Over the last five years or so, Manolo Marquez has grown into one of the most respected figures in Indian football. Marquez first took over a struggling Hyderabad FC in 2020, leading them to the ISL trophy in 2021-22.

Most recently, he led FC Goa to 3rd in the ISL 2023-24 table, just 3 points behind league winners Mohun Bagan.

India are officially out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Manolo Marquez will not have to worry about failure on that front, and it really is a fresh start for the Spaniard.

The other big storyline is that India are looking to transition away from legendary striker and captain Sunil Chhetri. In fact, this will be only the national team's second match after Chhetri's retirement.

The match will start at 7:30 PM IST. We are just over half an hour away from a new era under Spanish tactician Manolo Marquez for Indian football.

Manolo's first playing XI:

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Coach Manolo picks Rahul Bheke to lead the Blue Tigers as captain against Mauritius
Here's the starting lineup for #INDvMRI
Join us on Jio Cinema and Sports 18 3 for LIVE action!#IntercontinentalCup24 #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/Y1Oug08LZ4

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) September 3, 2024

India will play Mauritius today, and then Syria on September 9, during this international break. 

Mauritius: Rank 179

Syria: Rank 93

India are currently ranked 124, their lowest in a long while.

The very special thing about Manolo Marquez is that he is continuing to coach India whilst simulatenously being the manager of Indian Super League side FC Goa. Don't fear fans, this is far from the first time such a thing is happening in Indian football.

Hello and welcome to NDTV Sports for the live coverage of India vs Mauritius in the Inter-Continental Cup 2024. This is a big occasion: it is new head coach Manolo Marquez's first match in charge of the national team.