India's top 3 performers from Bangladesh draw

India missed quite a lot of chances to go up against Bangladesh.

India were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Bangladesh in their opening game of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. The Blue Tigers failed to add proper finishing touches to their attacking moves, coming close to scoring a few times but failing to add that killer blow.

The Bengal Tigers put up an admirable fight against India at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Shillong) and actually went toe-to-toe with the hosts. They created a few major chances in the first half, capitalizing on Vishal Kaith’s errors to nearly come close to scoring. Ultimately, however, both sides ended up cancelling each other out and having to split one point each.

While a sense of frustration engulfs the India squad, there were a few impressive players who can keep their heads held up. Here we look at India’s top 3 performers from the draw against Bangladesh.

3. Lalengmawia Ralte

Hamza Choudhury might’ve made an impressive impact in his international debut for Bangladesh, but Lalengmawia Ralte went toe-to-toe with him in the midfield battle.

The Mohun Bagan midfielder was a reliable and sturdy figure in the midfield, covering a lot of ground to keep the visitors from penetrating through the central areas. Apuia won a lot of duels in the midfield battle, regaining possession quite often and coming up with vital defensive contributions in a game where Ayush Chhetri struggled to hold his own.

Ralte was also pretty reliable with his distribution, moving the ball forward smoothly and quickly to help raise the tempo of his side’s attacking threat. He definitely proved his ability to excel at the international levels with a solid performance and strengthened his hold in a starting role for the Blue Tigers.

2. Subhasish Bose

Subhasish Bose has been one of the most impressive defenders in the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) and was able to bring his club form to the Indian side. He was really proactive on the left-back role, working really hard and covering a major amount of distance to stop Bangladesh’s threat through his side.

Bose bailed out his teammate Vishal Kaith wth an excellent goal-saving block early in the first half, setting up a sturdy performance for himself. Bose was commanding and diligent with his defensive work on the left, coming up with a number of crucial clearances and recovering the ball many times to frustrate the Bangladeshi players.

He also came close to scoring a few times in the second half, with a header attempt going just wide.  Bose’s sturdy performance helped him further strengthen his hold on that coveted left-back role for India.

1. Liston Colaco

If an impromptu award for the ‘unluckiest player of the match’ was given out at the end of the India-Bangladesh clash, it would definitely go to Liston Colaco. Coming off an impressive performance against the Maldives, the Mohun Bagan winger was full of menacing energy on the left flank.

He was an absolute tormenting factor for the opposition defenders, constantly harassing them with his venomous forward runs. The winger dribbled past the defenders with ease and constantly found himself in great positions in the final third, adding a lot of excitement to India’s attacking moves with his fearless style. Liston was also able to deliver a number of pinpoint crosses into the box.

He also swung in some great crosses from corners, but unfortunately for him, nothing paid off. His teammates just couldn’t finish off the chances well enough and ultimately let him down, robbing the winger of at least one assist.