Which players were dropped from India’s final squad for Vietnam international friendly?

The players featured on this list have struggled with their form and output in the ISL this season.

The Indian Football team will return to action for an international friendly against Vietnam in the upcoming international break. The Blue Tigers were supposed to play a game each against Vietnam and Lebanon on October 9th and 12th respectively but will now only face Vietnam on October 12 after Lebanon cancelled their participation.

India head coach Manolo Marquez has called up 23 players for the upcoming friendly. It will be Manolo’s second assignment after a disappointing outing in the Intercontinental Cup. India is yet to win a game under the Spaniard following a draw and a defeat in September. While Aakash Sangwan and Lalrinliana Hnamte have earned their first national team call-up, three key players are missing from the squad.

Take a look at players who were left out of India’s final squad for Vietnam friendly

Nandhakumar Sekar

The East Bengal forward is among the three big names who have been dropped by Manolo Marquez for the friendly against Vietnam. He was part of the side during the Intercontinental Cup, Marquez’s first assignment.

Nandhakumar has shown great signs of what he brings to the table in the ISL but has failed to replicate that same performance at the international level. He has zero goal contributions to his name in six international appearances for India.

ALSO READ: Why Lalrinliana Hnamte deserved his Indian Football Team call-up?

Rahim Ali

Rahim Ali’s exclusion is also a big surprise given what he can add to the team. The forward was a consistent player in the league for his former side Chennaiyin FC, but failed to replicate his magic in national blue.

Ali has over 18 goal contributions for Chennaiyin FC but has not hit the ground running for his new side Odisha FC. Moreover, he has not made any noteworthy contributions to the national team since his debut in 2021. 

Anirudh Thapa

Anirudh Thapa’s absence from the final squad list to face Vietnam has raised a lot of eyebrows. The Mohun Bagan Super Giant midfielder was once considered to be one of India’s best midfield players and was one of the first names on the team sheet.

But, things have gone south in the last few seasons as Thapa has struggled to find his form both for club and country. His creativity, vision, and understanding of the game are his strengths, but something is just not clicking for the midfield genius.

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