ABU DHABI -- The Indian national football team announced themselves as vigorous rivals on Sunday by their 4-1 victory over Thailand in the group stage of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

India's captain Sunil Chhetri stole the show by scoring two goals in the match, raising his international goals to 67.

It's the biggest win for India in the AFC Asian Cup so far, which they join after eight years of absence.

Run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and joined by 24 teams, the 17th edition of the quadrennial AFC Asian Cup is being held in the United Arab Emirates from Jan 5 to Feb 1.

The opening match was played on Saturday between hosts UAE and Bahrain and it ended up with a 1-1 tie.

Australia, who were defeated 1-0 by Jordan earlier in the day, are the title holders and hosts of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.