India head coach Igor Stimac has chosen to go with a set of names that are tried and tested for the 2023 Asian Cup to be held in Qatar from January 12 to February 10. India have been drawn in Group B with Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria for the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Chhetri and Co. will open their campaign against Australia on January 13 at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan before facing Uzbekistan on January 18 at the same venue.
The 26-member squad for the tournament was announced from a set of 50 probables on December 30. Let’s take a look at the players who make it up.
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been India’s premier goalkeeper for nearly half a decade now, Sandhu has been crucial to the national team’s cause ever since he took over as the No.1 between the sticks. He has made over 100 appearances for Bengaluru FC in domestic football and won the ISL golden glove twice. In 2019, he was conferred the Arjuna Award. Amrinder Singh has been India’s No.2 goalkeeper for a number of years now. Amrinder made his senior debut in August 2017 in a 2-1 win for India against Mauritius. Since then, he has gone on to make 12 appearances for the national team. 27-year-old Vishal Kaith is Mohun Bagan SG’s first choice goalkeeper but hasn’t quite been able to get enough game-time in international football with Amrinder and Sandhu ahead of him. However, he has shown his worth in the ISL, winning the golden glove as Bagan took the league title last season.
Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose
Mishra can be expected to be the first choice left back for India in the tournament. The 22-year-old Mumbai City FC star has been a mainstay in Stimac’s Indian sides in recent years and has put in some impressive shifts as well.
Lalchungnunga, 23, was rewarded for his consistent performances with East Bengal for the past two seasons with an international debut in November last year against Qatar in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. He had only been brought during injury time though, and is expected to be one of the understudies to Sandesh Jhingan and Rahul Bheke in the centre back positions. Mehtab is expected to be the other understudy for the centre-back positions. He has been playing for Mumbai City FC since 2020 and was integral in the side’s run to the ISL title in 2020/21.
Nikhil Poojary, like Mishra, has come to become a familiar face in the Indian side in recent games. The right back has been a mainstay for Hyderabad FC, winning the title with them in 2021/22, and was part of the Indian teams that won the SAFF Championship and Intercontinental Cup last year. Pritam Kotal is among the senior members of the squad but could have to contend with coming off the bench, possibly as a right back in place of Poojary.
Meanwhile, with Anwar Ali out injured, Bheke will be India’s first-choice centre-back alongwith Jhingan. Bheke plays for Mumbai City FC and has made 24 international appearances thus far. Partnering him will be Sandesh Jhingan, one of the faces of the Indian team.
Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Sahal Abdul Samad,
Thapa was among the players who found the back of the net during India’s stunning 4-1 win over Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. However, it remains to be seen if he will be a starter in this year’s tournament with Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte and Suresh Singh Wangjam in the squad. Apuia is pretty much undroppable now in central midfield and Suresh has been putting in consistent performances in the blue jersey as well.
The No.10 role was going to be a toss-up between Brandon Fernandes and Sahal Abdul Samad. However, it seems like the latter could be ruled out of the Asian Cup altogether due to injury and this means that Brandon could be the mainstay in that spot. Brandon has been in sensational form this season and is a driving force in Goa’s title challenge.
Wingers: Naorem Mahesh Singh, Liston Colaco, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh, Rahul KP, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh
Who could be India’s first-choice wingers is probably a million-dollar question. Mahesh Singh seems to have won Stimac’s trust having featured a number of times for India in matches last year and Liston Colaco, based on his good showing for Bagan this season, could be the primary contender for him. On the right, though, Chhangte as a first choice starter could be a safe call with Manveer Sing or Rahul KP as options off the bench for the position.
Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh
No prizes for guessing who is going to be India’s first choice striker. Captain, leader, legend, Sunil Chhetri remains a no-brainer at the age of 39. Ishan Pandita is a bit of a surpise selection as a backup considering the fact that he is not a guaranteed starter for Kerala Blasters. Vikram Partap Singh, on the other hand, could be another option in the wings for India if not as a No.9.
