Reviewing Khalid Jamil's performance as Indian football team head coach

India have won just 2 of their last 12 matches

The Indian football team’s winless run stretched to four games after they played out a 1-1 draw against Tajikistan in the second friendly clash on Tuesday (9 June 2026). In doing so, they reached a strange full circle in Khalid Jamil’s reign as the Blue Tigers’ head coach – with his first win as the Indian gaffer was incidentally against Tajikistan as well.

Indeed, the Khalid Jamil era got off to an exciting start as the Blue Tigers were able to win their debut game, but things have not exactly gone ‘according to plans’ afterwards.

The recent draw against Tajikistan means that the Blue Tigers only have one win in their last five matches, and their recent string of poor results has had an impact on India’s standing in the FIFA World Rankings as well.

It’s not even been a full year into the Khalid Jamil era; things have been way too topsy-turvy for the fans’ pleasure. India have not been able to pick up a string of victories under the veteran coach, whose playing style has had many wanting more as well.

Jamil has proven himself as a highly pragmatic coach, who puts emphasis on a ‘win at any cost’ attitude and prioritizing results over attractive football.

With Khalid Jamil having surpassed the 10-game mark as the Indian head coach and with the Blue Tigers unlikely to return to international action before September (2026), here we look at the review of the gaffer’s performance as the India head coach so far.

India’s results under Khalid Jamil’s reign

Khalid Jamil was appointed as the India head coach on 13 August (2025), being roped in as the successor of Manolo Marquez after the Spaniard’s short and relatively forgettable reign as the India head coach.

Jamil earned his position after working as a highly reputed coach in Indian football for well over a decade, with his heroics for Aizawl FC, NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC earning him the spot.

The Khalid Jamil era actually got off to a thrilling start in the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup – with the Blue Tigers earning a hard-fought 2-1 win over Tajikistan. However, they would go on to lose to Iran in their next game and be held by Afghanistan in their final group stage game.

India did, although, defeat Oman (on penalties) to claim a third-place finish in the CAFA Nations Cup – marking a decent start to the era under Jamil.

However, reality would come back to haunt them very soon. In the must-win matches against Singapore in the vital 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, India were able to get a draw away from home before losing their match at home. This ended their hopes of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of many fans.

India’s 2025 would end in disastrous fashion when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bangladesh in their penultimate AFC Asian Cup qualifier. This resulted in India’s first loss to Bangladesh since 1999, marking an embarrassing defeat for many fans.

The Blue Tigers were able to somewhat redeem themselves in their first game of 2026 – which was a 2-1 win over Hong Kong – all thanks to heroics from debutant Ryan Williams scoring a key goal in the game. Despite that, India ended up finishing their AFC Asian Cup qualification group at the bottom, beneath Bangladesh!

India were then invited to participate in the 2026 Unity Cup, where they faced Jamaica and Zimbabwe. However, the Blue Tigers ended up losing both matches to finish on bottom of the stands in the tournament in London as well.

After that, they pivoted to Tajikistan – suffering a 3-1 loss to Tajikistan in the first friendly before being held in the second one.

Under Khalid Jamil so far, the Blue Tigers have played 12 games and only won two matches (excluding one on penalties against Oman). They have suffered six losses and scored just 12 goals, averaging just one goal per game and also having conceded 19 goals in the period as well.

Positives under Khalid Jamil

Even though major improvements are yet to be discovered in Indian football under his reign, there have been a few notable positives for the Blue Tigers since Khalid Jamil took over. The biggest improvement is arguably how dangerous the Indian side have become from set-pieces and especially from long-throwing capability.

Jamil has made their long-throw a major source of creating chances, with India scoring multiple goals from that scenario itself. They have also improved their accuracy and unpredictability from set-pieces, being able to dupe opposition defenders and goalkeepers with their execution of such moves in the opposition box.

The Indian side have also maintained an overall relatively strong defensive structure under Jamil. They might’ve suffered some heavy defeats under him, but their overall shape has been strong enough to frustrate many sides – with the gaffer bringing his defensive tactics that brought him success at Aizawl and Jamshedpur FC into the national team set-up relatively well.

Areas of improvement under Khalid Jamil for India

To be fair, there are definitely many factors that the Indian side needs to improve upon after the June (2026) international break. The start to his stint as the Blue Tigers’ boss has been anything but positive for Jamil, who needs to reassess his tactical structure and make some crucial changes for the Indian side to play at a much higher level.

A major aspect of the Indian side that needs immediate improvement is definitely their goal-scoring prowess. Jamil needs to be braver in how he sets up his side and the kind of freedom offered to attacking players to take the fight to opposition players.

He needs to be bold with his set-up, ensuring that his players can transition from defence into attack quickly be more lethal on the counter-attacks.

Moreover, he also needs to start pushing more players into the opposition half to put them under severe pressure rather than relying on set-pieces & throw-ins for goals.

There needs to be a significant increase in pace of India’s attacking maneuevers, and he needs to allow his players to be braver for them to create & convert more chances in an efficient manner going forward.

Jamil also has to find a fixed structure for his Indian side rather than just experimenting with different formations every other game. His three-at-the-back style for the recent Tajikistan and Unity Cup matches failed to impress, with India being unable to keep a single clean sheet with that structure and ending up looking even more vulnerable defensively because of it.

The Indian gaffer needs to find a more reliable formation, ideally a four-at-the-back system where the players can operate with more fluidity. That will allow the players to play with more confidence, as they are all well-adjusted to playing in such suitable systems and can hold together a much stronger structure as well.

There is also a need for Jamil to give more chances to the rising youngsters within the Indian squad. There needs to be fresh faces introduced into the team and be slotted into the key areas, ensuring that they get enough exposure to hold their own against international opponents and thrive in the long-term.

Playing unpredictable youngsters can not only improve the overall energy levels of the team, but bring an element of surprise that can take other teams by surprise.

What is next for Khalid Jamil as India head coach?

There will be a few months of resting period for Khalid Jamil as the Indian national team will not be in action before the next international break in September (2026).

However, this needs to be used by him smartly to rethink some of his ideas for the Blue Tigers and come up with ways on significantly improving their overall playing style amidst notable criticism from the fans.

Jamil might only have managed 12 games as the Blue Tigers’ head coach so far, but there is pressure building on him to improve results and overall performance-levels of the side or face potential consequences.

The India gaffer needs to have his side playing a more entertaining brand of football, and definitely improve their work in the opposition half.

With India set to play in the SAFF Championship and few other tournaments later this year, Khalid needs to get them consistently winning matches to regain the trust of the fans.

If India keeps playing such underwhelming football and lose more matches they win, the consequences could be severe for Khalid Jamil’s long-term future as the India head coach.

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.