Which Indian players had best and worst pass accuracy against Australia in AFC Asian Cup 2023?

India fought hard but went down to Australia in their AFC Asian Cup 2023 opener.

India suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Australia in their opening game of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The Socerroos dominated more of the possession but India were not efficient enough when they did have the ball.

A number of players succumbed to the pressure and often gave away the ball in bad areas. However, there were some players who were much better at resisting the Australian press and moving the ball along without any problems. Here, we look at the Indian players with the best and worst passing accuracy in the AFC Asian Cup opener (based on a minimum of 10 passes made).

Top five players in terms of passing accuracy

5. Deepak Tangri – 82%

The Mohun Bagan midfielder was a surprise starter against Australia, but actually held his own in his AFC Asian Cup debut. He moved the ball around with simple passes, but at least didn’t misplace them. Tangri successfully completed 14 out of 17 pass attempts with an 82% accuracy.

4. Manvir Singh – 85%

Manvir couldn’t really create much on the right wing and was mostly restricted to defensive work. He passed the ball around well, nailing 11 of 13 passes with an 85% accuracy.

3. Sandesh Jhingan – 88%

Jhingan proved why he is known as India’s best defender with a strong showing against Australia. Apart from his impressive defending, he also distributed the ball out of the backline nicely – completing 28 passes with a completion rate of 88%.

2. Rahul Bheke – 88%

Bheke was busy having to pass the ball around in an attempt to help India string their moves. He made 38 (out of 43) passes with an impressive accuracy of 88% as well.

1. Lalengmawia Ralte

Apuia is widely regarded as India’s most efficient passer and his press-resistent manner helped him thrive against Australia, having a 96% passing accuracy and completing 26 out of 27 passes.

Top five players with worst passing accuracy

5. Anirudh Thapa – 68%

Thapa only came on in the second half, but melted under the intensity of the Aussie press. He completed only 9 out of his 13 passes with a 68% accuracy.

4. Nikhil Poojary – 64%

The right-back had a nightmare defensively, and didn’t do much good in passing the ball forward either. He only completed 14 passes with a poor 64% accuracy.

3. Subhasish Bose – 62%

Subhasish was put under pressure by Australia’s relentless attacks and seemed nervous to distribute the ball. He completed 18 out of 29 passes, but only with a 62% accuracy.

2. Lallianzuala Chhangte – 61%

Chhangte had a frustrating outing on the left wing and barely got much service in the opposition half. He was also wasteful in possession, only completing 11 passes with a 61% accuracy.

1. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 56%

Gurpreet had a poor outing against Australia and conceded a poor first goal. He also struggled in passing the ball around, having an awful 56% accuracy and only completing 29 out of 52 passes.

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.