How PV Vishnu's role at East Bengal in 2026-27 season could pave the way for an India call-up

PV Vishnu can find his rhythm under Antonio Lopez Habas

PV Vishnu was one of the standout players for East Bengal in the 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign, playing a key role in helping them win the title. The 24-year-old winger earned regular playing time under Oscar Bruzon, something that enabled him to prove his talent and torment defenders all throughout the season.

Vishnu was able to score a goal and provide three assists in 13 appearances for the Torchbearers, but also created chances on a consistent basis to help them scratch their way to the title. Now, Vishnu is gearing up to play under yet another new head coach at East Bengal in the form of Antonio Habas.

Fortunately for Vishnu, he is adept in both sides of the pitch and that should enable him to remain a prominent threat for East Bengal under the Spanish coach. Not only is the 24-year-old aiming to keep shining in the ISL matches, but he is also determined to fight his way to earning the attention of India head coach, Khalid Jamil.

Vishnu definitely has the potential to play for the Indian football team, but he needs to prove that by being consistent and decisive in the 2026-27 season.

Here we look at how PV Vishnu could push his way into becoming a contender to play for the Blue Tigers in the coming season.

Show better consistency with goal contributions

The best way for Vishnu to really prove himself capable of excelling for the Indian football team is if he can be much more consistent with his goal contributions.

The 24-year-old needs to adapt to Habas’ style well and work hard to establish a regular starting role for the Torchbearers by performing strongly in training and proving himself a solid fit for the Spaniard’s system.

The 24-year-old player will need to be smart with his work in the final third for East Bengal to be able to deliver regular goal contributions. He needs to be decisive with his final third passes, sending in more inviting crosses and picking out his forward(s) with perfect passes to influence more goals for the Kolkata giants.

Vishnu only scored one goal for East Bengal in the 2025-26 ISL and that probably isn’t something that will help him break into the India team.

To do so, he needs to make better runs into central areas and finish off chances in a clinical fashion to score more goals and prove himself as a capable goal-scorer if given enough freedom in the final third.

Also Read: Why Naorem Mahesh Singh can prove himself as a special weapon for Antonio Lopez Habas at East Bengal

Further improve dribbling quality

One of the most exciting aspects about PV Vishnu is definitely how entertaining he can be with his forward runs and ability to dribble past defenders with ease. The 24-year-old boasts decent sprinting speed and agility, which allows him to burst past defenders with relative ease and increase the element of surprise in his game as well.

However, if he really wants to prove himself as a top-class winger in the ISL, Vishnu needs to further work on improving his dribbling qualities. He needs to be even braver when it comes to taking on sturdy defenders, and work on bringing a bit more variety to his dribbling moves to burst his way past opposition players into the danger zones.

If Vishnu can work on nailing nine out of 10 of his dribble attempts, he can become a real nightmare to deal with for the defenders. That would also raise his reputation in Indian football and probably compel Khalid Jamil to pick him for the national team as well.

Excelling in different roles

What can also improve PV Vishnu’s chances of gaining a spot with the Indian football team is if he can continue to prove his versatility by impressing in different positions for East Bengal. Last season, the 24-year-old winger often operated as a wing-back for Oscar Bruzon’s side and he actually put in some really impressive performances in that position as well.

Vishnu needs to continue keep consistently performing strongly when operating in different positions, especially in the left-back spot.

If he can prove himself to be a capable full-back or wing-back, who can put in sturdy defensive work as well as excel on the other side of the pitch, then the East Bengal man might really start getting pushed for a place with the Blue Tigers.

The name of the game for Vishnu will be to maintain top-level consistency, but also prove himself as someone who can adapt in to different systems or conditions with ease.

If he’s able to prove his hard-working nature and also be prolific in the final third, then Vishnu will start getting more attention from Khalid Jamil and potentially get promoted to the national team very soon.

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