Five players who could miss out on next Indian national team camp

These players were either not up to the mark or the squad has better options than them.

The Indian national team are set to particulate in the Hero Intercontinental Cup in Bhubaneswar from 8 June onwards. The Blue Tigers recently gained places in the FIFA World Rankings after winning the 2023 Tri-Nation Series in March.

After a little bit of a gap following the end of the Hero Super Cup on April 25, Igor Stimac is expected to announce his provisional squad for the Hero Intercontinental Cup. The Blue Tigers will have a national team camp before final preparations get underway for that tournament. As it’s well known, places in the national squad are scarce despite hefty competition.

That means not all the players who were in the Tri-Nation Series squad are guaranteed a place in the camp going forward. So, here we look at the five players who could miss out on a national team call-up this time around.

5. Liston Colaco

Liston Colaco had a really disappointing Indian Super League (ISL) season with ATK Mohun Bagan in their title-winning effort. Despite scoring a penalty in the final, his overall season was disappointing and filled with poor performances. He made up for that somewhat with an impressive brace in ATKMB’s 5-1 win over Gokulam Kerala in the Hero Super Cup.

But then he again disappointed in their losses to Jamshedpur FC and FC Goa after that. Colaco’s inconsistency and inability to find his missing spark can cost him. He has anyhow struggled to fit into Stimac’s system, with the likes of Bipin Singh or Mohammad Yasir getting more game-time than him for India. So it wouldn’t be that surprising if Colaco is again not called up to the Indian national team camp.

4. Rohit Kumar

Rohit Kumar has had an admirable campaign with Bengaluru FC which could end with the Hero Super Cup title. He has put in energetic performances, fitting in well into Simon Grayson’s system and being a livewire for the Blues. However, despite his domestic heroics, Kumar still doesn’t have the experience of a seasoned international.

He only got a few minutes to play in the Tri-Nation Series and probably isn’t rated that highly at the national level. With Apuia possibly making a comeback to the national team for the upcoming camp, Kumar could find it tough to hold his place in the squad. While he’s a hard worker, Kumar probably lacks the creative touch and composure Stimac likes in his midfielders and that could cost him a spot in the final squad for the upcoming tournament.

3. Pritam Kotal

Pritam Kotal had an impressive ISL campaign and played a key role in helping ATKMB win the ISL trophy. As a result, the versatile defender got a spot (a late call-up) in the squad for the Tri-Nation Series. He played in the win over the Krygyz Republic and helped India get a clean sheet. However, Kotal isn’t exactly the ideal wing-back for Stimac’s system. He’s more defensive-oriented and played as a centre-back for the majority of his season with ATKMB.

Kotal doesn’t have the end-to-end influence of someone like Naorem Roshan Singh or even his club teammate Asish Rai. With Stimac already having his settled centre-back, Kotal doesn’t really fit into that role for India either. So, it won’t be surprising if he doesn’t make the squad now that Rahul Bheke is fit again.

2. Sahal Abdul Samad

Sahal Abdul Samad has normally been used as an impact substitute by Stimac for the Indian national team, but was snubbed from the Tri-Nation Series squad – kept as a reserve option. He was however, called up to the main squad ahead of the Kyrgyz Republic game and got a few minutes under his belt too. Samad was not used much by Kerala Blasters in the Hero Super Cup either, possibly because of fitness issues. His inability to make any impact after being snubbed by the Indian national team for the March games doesn’t help his case at making a return.

Instead, Samad could again be kept in the reserves list and fail to make the main squad for the upcoming games. His inconsistency and fitness issues are causing major problems for Samad, who will probably need to perform at a very high level to reclaim a spot in the Indian national team.

1. Ritwik Das

Ritwik Das got a chance to be a breakout star of the Tri-Nation tournament for India after being picked in the national squad for the second time in March. However, he couldn’t really emulate his domestic form to the international level and got sporadic minutes as a substitute. Das had a relatively average Hero Super Cup campaign with Jamshedpur FC, not being able to score any goals for them.  

Even though the winger is packed with quality, with his dribbling ability, clever movement and finishing making him a menacing player – he still appears to be raw for the international stages. He doesn’t have the experience or decisiveness as the likes of Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh or Manvir Singh. With Stimac liking to stick with a tight group of forwards for his India squads, Das could, unfortunately, lose his national spot in the upcoming camp.