AFC Asian Cup 2023 Indian Football Team Squad Analysis: Goalkeepers

With zero minutes played in ISL 2023-24, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem failed to earn a spot.

Indian goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj played a pivotal role during India’s triumph at the Asian Games 1962 Jakarta and during India’s road to the final at the AFC Asian Cup 1964 Israel.

The 18th edition of the Asian Football Confederation’s premier association football tournament, the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qatar, is less than a fortnight away. All the 24 teams who made it to the main event have begun to brace for the tournament.

Igor Stimac’s Blue Tigers who have been drawn into Group B of the premier contest alongside fan-favourites Australia, a tough draw in the form of Uzbekistan and Syria, announced their 26-man roster for the upcoming event. The goalkeeping department of the Blue Tigers seems strong and promising. Let’s delve into the list of the goalkeepers ahead of the upcoming tournament.

Players who got a call

Amrinder Singh

The 30-year-old Odisha FC goalkeeper who is also the skipper for the Juggernauts is having a roller-coaster ride this season in the Indian Super League under Sergio Lobera. In the 12 games played during the first half of the ISL 2023-24 season, Singh was able to keep a clean-sheet in six games and once during their AFC Cup campaign out of the six outings so far.

The last time he was seen donning the national colours was in November 2023, when the Blue Tigers hosted Qatar at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar in a World Cup qualifier, which wasn’t a night to remember for the Indian goalie, as the hosts lost the game 3-0. Since his national team debut in 2017, Singh has taken the field 13 times to-date and was able to keep a clean-sheet on seven occasions.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

The Bengaluru FC and Indian No. 1 hasn’t been in his top rhythm this ISL season. During the first half of the ISL 2023-24 season, Sandhu conceded a total of 19 goals and was able to keep a clean-sheet only twice. Bengaluru FC are currently in ninth place with 11 points from 12 games.

The last time he was on international duty was back in mid-November 2023, when India hosted Kuwait in a World Cup qualifier. Sandhu was able to keep a clean-sheet as India won the game 1-0, thanks to Manvir Singh whose left-footed attempt in the 75th minute edged past the Kuwaiti goalkeeper.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has donned the national colours an astonishing 66 times so far since his debut back in 2011 and was able to maintain a clean-sheet on 26 occasions.

Vishal Kaith

The Mohun Bagan Super Giant goalkeeper equals Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in maintaining a clean-sheet only twice in the first leg of the ISL 2023-24 season. Kaith has conceded 14 goals in the season so far, with six of them coming in the last three consecutive losses for the Kolkata club.

Vishal Kaith made his debut for the national side in September 2018 and since then, he has been under the bar only on four occasions so far, all of them coming in the SAFF Championship 2018. During his four outings, he conceded only thrice and was able to maintain a clean-sheet on two occasions.

Players who missed out

Now, out of the five goalkeepers from our AFC Asian Cup probables’ list, there are two goalkeepers who could have been called-up for national duty, but their chances were plagued by their minimal playing minutes in recent times or because their recent stats have been severely unsatisfactory.

Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem

The Manipuri goalkeeper is yet to make an appearance in the ISL 2023-24 season. He rose to fame with the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 which happened in India and the India U-17 team entered the tournament as the host team.

Currently at FC Goa, the last time he took the field was back in December 2022 against East Bengal in the ISL 2022-23 season. In that campaign, out of the 19 games, Dheeraj kept a clean-sheet on four occasions, but did concede 34 goals in all total. Dheeraj is yet to make his senior team debut.

Gurmeet Singh Chahal

The Hyderabad FC goalkeepers has taken to the field nine times so far but wasn’t able to achieve a single clean-sheet.

Out of his 28 games so far with Hyderabad FC, he earned a clean-sheet on eight occasions and has conceded 30 times to-date. Before joining his current side, Gurmeet took charge for the Highlanders and during his 10 outings with them, he was able to achieve a clean-sheet on four occasions. The Indian goalkeeper is yet to receive a call from the national side.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.