In 2013 in Kathmandu, the Afghans exacted a sweet revenge, coming out a 2-0 winner in the summit showdown.
From the squad that suffered a reverse in 2013, only five players - Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Arnab Mondal, Subrata Paul and Robin Singh - figure in Constantine's current team that mostly comprises promising talents.
Even as Afghanistan beat every team hands down in terms of goals scored in the tournament, India, too, posses a potent strike-force upfront.
Despite the absence of an injured Robin Singh, who scored a couple of times in the initial games, India have enough firepower in attack to rattle the opponents' defence.
Skipper Chhetri is everytime expected to lead from the front, which he does so often, while the in-from Jeje, who struck twice in the 3-2 semifinal win over Maldives, is a perfect partner in attack. Chhetri finished 2015 as India's top scorer with six goals.
The experienced Chhetri and the fairly experienced Jeje, 24, will be supported by Holicharan Narzary and 18-year-old Mizoram striker Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Rated highly by his teammates, Chhangte burst into the limelight when he scored two brilliant goals after coming on as a substitute in India's win over Nepal in the league stage.
Having earned praise from Constantine for his performance, Rowlin Borges will be a key figure in midfield though he is relatively inexperienced. Borges will have the dynamic Eugeneson Lyngdoh as partner in the middle of the park. With Bikash Jairu nicely using the width on the left, the Briton will have a decent midfield at his disposal.
Having netted in 16 goals in four matches with striker Khaibar Amani leading the way with five strikes to his name, the Lions of Khorasan present a formidable attacking unit. They trounced Bangladesh 4-0 and Maldives 4-1.
Taking into account Afghanistan's potent attack, the Indian back-four of Pritam Kotal, Arnab Mondal, Augustine Fernandez and Narayn Das will be severely tested in the title clash.
Afghanistan enjoyed more possession in the 5-0 drubbing of Sri Lanka in the semifinal, and made good use of the flanks through Zubair Amiri and Omid Popalzay.
India also enjoyed a clear edge over their opponents for a major part of the match, but they were guilty of wasting many chances and almost let Maldives claw their way back into the game.
A triumph tomorrow will be a sort of consolation for the Indian team after its disastrous outing in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Jeje, Chhetri Score as India beat Afghanistan 2-1 to win SAFF Cup
India, who had lost to Afghanistan 0-2 in the final of 2013 edition in Kathmandu, were clearly the better side in the final match between the two best teams of the regional tournament though they had to come back from one goal deficit and had to settle the match in the extra time.
India under Stephen Constantine could have won by a bigger margin had the woodwork not denied them twice in the match
But at the end, India ran away victors in the third straight summit clash of the SAFF Cup between the two sides and regained the title they had won in 2011.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (72nd minute) and Sunil Chhettri (101th) scored for India after Zubayr Amiri had given Afghanistan the lead in the 69th minute
The victory for 166th ranked India over higher ranked Afghanistan (150th) today gave Constantine his first win of an international tournament after taking charge early last year for his second stint at the helm of affairs in India.
India, who were playing in the 10th final out of 11 SAFF Cup editions today, re-established their dominance in the regional tournament and are also likely to make a jump in the FIFA rankings which will come out on Thursday January 07,2016
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