New Delhi, Aug 23 - Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia was felicitated by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Delhi Soccer Association (DSA) for appearing in his 100th international match here Sunday.

Bhutia was presented with a memento and a bouquet before the Nehru Cup match against Kyrgyzstan at the Ambedkar Stadium.

Interestingly, the 32-year-old from Sikkim earned this rare distinction in the same tournament where he made his debut in 1995 against Thailand, coming in as a replacement for his idol I.M.Vijayan. In the next match against Uzbekistan, Bhutia scored his first international goal as India registered a shocking win over then Asian Games champions.

'It is a great honour to play the 100th match for my country. When I started playing, I never thought that I would go on to play 100 international matches,' Bhaichung said.

The Indian captain burst on the scene in the 1992 Subroto Cup and by the next year had signed up for East Bengal.