Centre-back pairing, debutants & other talking points from India's AFC Asian Cup 2023 squad

India will miss some of their key players in the AFC Asian Cup due to injuries.

Igor Stimac has finally named the 26-member squad that will be travelling to Qatar for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The Blue Tigers have flown to Doha on Saturday (30 December) and will be involved in a two-week preparatory training camp to get ready for the challenging group stage games.

There aren’t any ‘major’ shocks in terms of any inclusions or exclusions from the squad, with the Croatian mentor picking his trusted boys that impressed India in the plethora of matches in 2023. However, there are some interesting topics of debate that have popped up with the announcement. Here we look at the top five talking points for the selected Indian squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

5. Blend of youth and experience in the squad

Igor Stimac appears to have kept a nice balance when it comes to the structure of his squad for the upcoming tournament. Of course, he has chosen the experienced heads like Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan and Anirudh Thapa. But opportunities also have been given to the young talents who have impressed Indian football fans in recent campaigns.

The likes of Naorem Mahesh Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia) and Akash Mishra are all expected to feature heavily. Moreover, players like Lalchungnunga, Vikram Partap Singh and Deepak Tangri are also in the squad to add more aggressiveness and firepower if needed. The squad is well adept for different situations and Stimac should have enough options in case he wants to go for either an offensive or a defensive approach for the matches.

4. Who will be making their debuts?

The majority of the players selected in the squad (17) have actually never played in a competition like the AFC Asian Cup in their careers. Even though India played in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, only nine of the 26 players selected for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup remain from the previous edition’s squad. Indeed, the majority of the players in the squad have not played in this sort of major state and this will be a new experience for them.

Many of the possible starters like Lallianzuala Chhangte, Apuia, Sahal Abdul Samad and Naorem Mahesh Singh will be making their debuts in this tournament. Hence, it’ll be upon senior players like Chhetri, Jhingan and Gurpreet to guide the youngsters, calm their nerves and motivate them to bring their best in the AFC Asian Cup games.

3. The Surprise call-ups and exclusions

While there are not that many major surprises in the squad picked by Stimac, there are a few inclusions that are likely to raise eyebrows among fans. A major one is probably that of Deepak Tangri, who has only made a handful of appearances for Mohun Bagan this season but got into the squad as a versatile midfielder option. Suresh Singh hasn’t been in the best form for Bengaluru FC in the ISL, but got included in the squad. There have been a few surprising exclusions in the squad too.

Creative midfielder Mohammad Yasir has been snubbed from the squad despite being renowned for his chance-creating ability. He probably failed to make the trip due to Hyderabad FC’s poor form in the ISL. For some, the hard-working Danish Farooq’s snub can also come as a surprise.

2. Who will be the defensive duo?

At this point, it’s more or less easy to predict that India’s full-backs will be the reliable Nikhil Poojary and Akash Mishra for the AFC Asian Cup games. However, there is still a little bit of confusion over who will form the centre-back partnership. Stimac has chosen four natural centre-backs who can do the job, while Pritam Kotal and Subhasish Bose can also be slotted into the roles.

Sandesh Jhingan is, of course, locked in as the commanding centre-back who will be shepherding over the entire backline and will be crucial in maintaining an unbreakable shape. Rahul Bheke is likely to be beside him, mostly due to his superiority over Lalchungnunga and Mehtab Singh in terms of experience. Bheke is a compact, aggressive centre-back, who tends to complement Jhingan’s qualities and the two need to be at their best for India to keep any clean-sheet in their tough group.

1. The biggest injury absentees

Igor Stimac was rather fortunate that Sahal Abdul Samad was ready to be selected for the Asian Cup after fighting an injury trouble since November. But there are still some notable absentees due to injuries. The biggest name to not be in the squad is, of course, Anwar Ali. He sustained a bad ankle injury earlier in the season for Mohun Bagan and will not be involved in any capacity at the Asian Cup.

Anwar’s absence is a major setback, noting his brilliant performances for India in the SAFF Championship and Intercontinental Cup in 2023, and how he enabled them to keep more clean-sheets and maintain a better defensive shape. Jeakson Singh also has missed out on the squad due to an injury. The Blue Tigers will miss his energetic presence and game-reading skills as Jeakson especially excels in protecting his backline and intercepting the ball in key areas before launching counter-attacks.

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