Top five players dropped by Igor Stimac for friendly against Jordan

These players had a strong case of making it into the squad for the crucial friendly.

The Indian senior men’s football team will play an international friendly against Jordan on 28 May 2022. The fixture acts as a preparatory one before the upcoming third round of 2022 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. Indian head coach Igor Stimac announced a 25-man squad for the forthcoming friendly to be played in Doha, Qatar.

For the past few days, the Indian football team was playing practice matches in order to prepare. They played against the Indian Super League outfit ATK Mohun Bagan which ended in a 2-1 defeat for Stimac and co. The Blue Tigers also played two matches against I-League All-Stars XI and the Bengal Santosh Trophy team, winning the former by 2-0 and drawing the latter by 1-1.

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The challenge in store against Jordan will be mighty. The selected players will need to pull up their socks. Looking at the 25-man squad, there are a few notable players that did not make the final cut. Here are the top five players dropped by Igor Stimac for the friendly against Jordan:

Prabhsukhan Gill

Prabhsukhan Gill had a very successful 2021-22 Indian Super League campaign. The custodian finished with seven clean sheets, winning the Golden Glove. His omission comes as a surprise because another good ISL performer Laxmikant Kattimani got the nod. Maybe, the tactician should have shown more ruthlessness and dropped Amrinder Singh, who had a relatively disappointing campaign.

The 21-year-old player was one of the best performers for Kerala Blasters FC, helping them reach the final of the ISL 2021-22. He is the future of Indian football and should be part of the national team setup on a regular basis.  

Hormipam Ruivah

Hormipam Ruivah was Prabhsukhan Gill’s teammate at Kerala Blasters in the last season. The centre-back forged a strong partnership with Marko Leskovic. The 21-year-old was regarded as one of the strongest Indian players thanks to his performances for the Yellow Army. He also made his national debut in the friendly against Belarus and will feel unfortunate to be left out from the squad for the friendly against Jordan.

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He was a key figure in helping KBFC reach the ISL final, narrowly losing the trophy to Hyderabad FC. The youngster was superb despite it being his first ISL season. His bravery, aggressiveness and reading of the game are exactly what the Indian football team needs from its centre-backs. 

Bipin Singh

Bipin Singh’s rise at Mumbai City FC in recent years is noteworthy. After all, the winger is the fourth-highest Indian goalscorer in the ISL. He has 16 goals in 76 appearances. He was crucial in helping the Islanders win the League Winner’s Shield during the 2020-21 season.

Bipin Singh did not make the 25-man Indian football team squad that will travel to Doha to face Jordan. The 27-year-old had six goals and three assists in the 2021-22 ISL. He missed the plane to Doha despite featuring for MCFC in the AFC Champions League recently.

Asish Rai

Asish Rai was a key performer for Hyderabad FC. The full-back was central to the record-breaking campaign for the Nizams that saw the outfit qualify for the playoffs for the first time ever and also win the ISL trophy for their first-ever silverware as a club. His speed and industry makes him an indispensable option against better foreign teams that tend to dominate more possession of the ball.

Rai did not get selected in the final 25-man squad for the friendly against Jordan. This comes as a surprise omission, but there is heavy competition for places. Rai made three assists in the ISL season but remained a consistent performer nonetheless. 

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Pronay Halder

Pronay Halder is a versatile midfielder and particularly useful without the possession of the ball. He has a physical presence on the field and is an expert at breaking down the attacking gameplay of the opposition. These qualities come in good use while playing against better national teams that usually dominate possession.

The 29-year-old was very influential for Jamshedpur FC on their way to winning the League Winner’s Shield. He brings a lot of experience with 24 caps under his belt. Perhaps, Igor Stimac wanted to trust in youngsters like Jeakson Singh for the future of Indian football team.

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