Can proactive Edmund Lalrindika be solution to India's no.9 problem?

East Bengal FC star knocking on national team doors

With Sunil Chhetri seemingly permanently retired from international competition, a major task that Khalid Jamil faces in 2026 and beyond is to find his ideal replacement in the no.9 role in the Indian football team. At the end of the day, goals win games, and the Blue Tigers desperately require a ruthless goal-scorer up-front to enhance their chances of winning more matches going forward.

Over the last few matches, Jamil has tried out a variety of options in the no.9 role for India. Apart from the few matches he was able to use Chhetri as his no.9 after he came back from retirement, the Indian gaffer opted to use Irfan Yadwad and Rahim Ali to spearhead his frontline. Those choices, however, didn’t really work out that well at all – as neither forward were really able to impress in matches they started in.

Ali and Yadwad failed to bring that spark to India’s frontline and it’s time for Jamil to look into other options. Fortunately for him, a promising Indian forward’s heroics in the 2025-26 Indian Super League can give him the solution. That particular Indian forward, indeed, is East Bengal man Edmund Lalrindika – who has looked really sharp in the opening games of the campaign.

The 26-year-old has emerged as East Bengal’s surprise factor in the frontline, ensuring that they can trick their opponents by being a real live-wire in the frontline. Edmund has already scored two goals and provided an assist in three 2025-26 ISL games for East Bengal and looked like one of the best-performing Indian players in the league so far. Here, we look at why Edmund Lalrindika could be the solution to India’s issues for the no.9 role and scoring goals.

Hard-working driving nature and never-say-die attitude

Edmund Lalrindika has somehow only been restricted to six appearances for the India football team, despite his encouraging performances at the domestic stages. In his six appearances, none have actually been starting roles and he’s mostly been used as a late substitute whenever playing for the Blue Tigers.

Well, Edmund Lalrindika has been able to prove just how good he can be as a starting player in recent games for East Bengal. After being named in the starting lineup in their last two games, he followed it up with two impressive goals! What is rather admirable about the 26-year-old forward is that he possesses a real never-say-die attitude and doesn’t get daunted when playing against foreign defenders.

He might not be the most physical player, but Edmund Lalrindika has the utmost drive in him. He is capable of often dropping out of his natural role to help his side link up better moves in the build-up play and create room for his teammates to threaten through. The East Bengal forward absolutely loves working his socks off, being capable of covering a lot of ground and also fulfilling his defensive responsibilities by pressing the opponents or tracking back to help his defenders.

Edmund Lalrindika’s relentless nature of never allowing his spirits to dwindle makes him a real asset for any team. He has the grit and characteristics to fill in rather well with Khalid Jamil’s system, and now it’s just a case of the gaffer needing to grant him more playing time.

Awareness of sniffing out chances in the final third

What Edmund Lalrindika has proven in his recent appearances for East Bengal is that he can be a really efficient player when it comes to converting chances from anywhere in the final third. His first goal of the campaign was a stunning volley against SC Delhi, before the forward also outwitted the Jamshedpur FC backline with some cheeky, tricky and finishing for his strike against them.

Lalrindika definitely has the qualities of sniffing out chances in the final third and being able to realise when they’ll pop up in the final third. Even if he’s not operating as a no.9, the 26-year-old is aware enough to get into the prime areas of the final third and inside the penalty area, as well as knowing how to finish off chances in clinical fashion to help his side make their chances count.

The East Bengal forward is not one to constantly buckle under the pressure when big chances come his way in the final third. He is calm and composed enough to finish off chances in clinical fashion and can be a real asset for the Indian football team in the final third if able to given more playing time as a no.9.

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