Chhetri, Gurpreet among other regulars in India Football Team of the Year 2023

Nikhil Poojary, who last played in 2019 before getting a call in 2023 also earned a spot.

The Indian Football team had a really eventful year of 2023, participating in multiple different competitions and playing a lot of games in preparation for the 2023 Asian Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Blue Tigers faced 16 matches across a number of competitions and won 10 of them as well.

Igor Stimac’s side won the Intercontinental Cup, Tri-Nation Series and SAFF Championship earlier in the year. They also managed to win their first World Cup 2026 qualifier, defeating Kuwait away from home. It was actually quite a successful year for the Indian team and certain players maintain quite impressive consistency with their performances too. With that being said, Khel Now takes a look at the India Football Team’s best XI for 2023.

Goalkeeper: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was able to further solidify his claim as India’s undisputed no.1 goalkeeper with a string of impressive performances for the Blue Tigers. He made 10 appearances for Stimac’s side, keeping five clean sheets as well.

The Bengaluru FC star was an agile, proactive goalkeeper in his box – coming up with excellent saves time and again to avert disaster. He even kept a clean sheet against Kuwait in the first World Cup qualifier and Amrinder Singh’s shaky performance in the 3-0 loss to Qatar afterwards showed how big of a miss Gurpreet can be.

Right-Back: Nikhil Poojary

For Nikhil Poojary, the year 2023 proved to be one for redeeming his international career. After last playing a game for India in September 2019, Poojary impressed Stimac with his heroics for Hyderabad FC in the 2022-23 Indian Super League season and received a call-up for the Intercontinental Cup in June.

Poojary’s impressive performances as a right-back against Mongolia and Lebanon won over Stimac, who seemingly found his ideal full-back. The Hyderabad FC star has featured in India’s last 12 matches and made the right-back role his own. Not only has he been defensively compact and proactive, but his ability to make overlapping runs and crossing ability have made him a key part of the Indian side.

Centre-Back: Anwar Ali

Anwar Ali was one of the shining and most consistent players for India in the busy 2023 period and asserted himself as an absolute rock at the back. In his 10 appearances, India kept six clean sheets and only conceded five goals.

Ali’s excellent positional sense and game-reading ability helped him frustrate a lot of foreign strikers and maintain a very sharp defensive line. Even though he missed out on a few of India’s final games of 2023, Ali’s admirable performances mean that he’s locked in for a role in the national team for a long time.

Centre-Back: Sandesh Jhingan

Sandesh Jhingan only missed three matches for the Blue Tigers in 2023 and was a key part in their defensive sturdiness as well. He looked pretty sharp defending alongside both Anwar Ali and Rahul Bheke, being a commanding figure at the back.

The FC Goa man used his experience to help the Blue Tigers grind out some narrow wins and hold together a really compact defensive line too. Jhingan has drilled himself well into Stimac’s philosophy and continues to produce his most solid performances for them too.

Left-Back: Akash Mishra

Akash Mishra had quite a memorable year of 2023 at the club and international level and he brought a lot of spirit to the Indian side with his performances too. Mishra featured in the majority of the matches for the Blue Tigers and helped restrict a lot of attacking threats from the opposition with his vigilant defensive work.

Mishra’s ability to time his tackles well and also carry the ball forward nicely made him the well-rounded full-back that Stimac seems to like and he was also able to displace Naorem Roshan Singh from the starting XI.

Defensive-Midfielder: Jeakson Singh

After making relatively sporadic appearances for India in the last few years, Jeakson Singh blossomed into a regular for the Blue Tigers in 2023. He put in a string of excellent performances in both the SAFF Championship and Intercontinental Cup, helping India control games nicely and also protecting the backline efficiently.

Jeakson is the kind of progressive defensive midfielder who can help India defend strongly and also help with the transitions with his excellent forward passes. He still has many years ahead of him, and will probably be a regular feature in the India team as long as he can keep his performance levels at this level.

Centre-Midfield: Lalengmawia Ralte

Lalengmawia Ralte had a bit of a weird 2023 for the Indian football team and faced lengthy spells outside due to certain issues. After playing against Mongolia in the Intercontinental Cup opener, Apuia’s next appearance was in the World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar. Despite that, Ralte’s performances were actually up-to-the-mark and he was able to outshine a lot of his teammates in the matches he did play.

Ralte was especially excellent in the win over Kuwait, showcasing excellent composure with moving the ball forward and winning defensive duels. It’s safe to say that knowing his talent, Apuia will play way more matches for India in 2024.

Centre-Midfield: Sahal Abdul Samad

Sahal Abdul Samad has transformed into one of the most important players for India over the course of 2023 and featured in 14 games too. In that period, he was also able to score a brilliant goal in the win over Mongolia and got a few assists against Kuwait and Iraq too. Samad was the creative beacon for the Blue Tigers, opening up all the opportunities for his teammates with his stellar final third passes.

He has assumed the role of driving India forward and getting into the clever areas in and around the box, before trying to create major chances for India. As long as Sahal can improve his goal-contribution consistency, he can become a major driving force for India.

Right-Wing: Lallianzuala Chhangte

Lallianzuala Chhangte was a real livewire for the Indian side over the course of 2023 and provided a lot of memorable moments with his exciting performances. Chhangte’s best performances for India came at the Intercontinental Cup, where he scored two gaols and provided an assist in three games – including two contributions in the final.

The Mumbai City winger ruled the roost in the right-wing role and also scored the decisive goal in the big away win against Kuwait. Chhangte proved his ability to create chances and cause havoc as a starter and also as an impactful substitute and also won the 2022-23 AIFF Men’s Player of the Year award too.

Left-Wing: Naorem Mahesh Singh

Naorem Mahesh Singh’s impressive performances for East Bengal helped him break into the Indian football team in 2023 and he has not looked back so far. Mahesh featured in 15 of the 16 of India’s matches over the year of 2023 and proved to be a versatile player, playing across both wings.

Mahesh is preferred for his adaptability to situations and being able to move al around the pitch to cause trouble. He scored three goals and provided an assist in all competitions for India in 2023, including goals against Malaysia and Iraq. Mahesh has now become a crucial part of India and is likely to feature a lot more in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.

Centre-Forward: Sunil Chhetri

Even at the age of 39 in 2023, Sunil Chhetri still remains the most prolific striker in Indian football right now. Chhetri played in all except two matches for India in the year of 2023 and scored eight goals as well. That included a brilliant hat-trick against Pakistan at the SAFF Championship group stages and also goals against Kuwait as well as Lebanon.

While Chhetri might not be the quickest player anymore or able to get himself involved into all moves, he still remains a ruthless finisher who will need to be at his very best for India to excel at the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.

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