Four overlooked Indian football team players who should be involved against Hong Kong

The Indian Football Team will play Hong Kong on June 10th.

The Indian football team will be looking to get back to winning ways when they travel to face a challenging Hong Kong side in their next AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. After having been held to a draw in their first game against Bangladesh, Manolo Marquez’s side are in desperate need of getting a win to push for the top spot in their group.

The Blue Tigers are heading into the game at the back of a disappointing 2-0 loss to Thailand in a recent friendly. A lot of things went wrong in that game for India, with multiple players producing under-par performances and not looking suited for their roles at all.

Surprisingly, there were a few promising Indian football team players who were totally snubbed by Marquez in the Thailand loss despite heading into the game in decent form.

Marquez is going to have to make changes against Hong Kong to get a positive result and here are four overlooked Indian football team players he should look to involve in the next game.

4. Nikhil Prabhu

Nikhil Prabhu received his Indian football team debut as a substitute in the loss to Thailand, but added more steel and aggression to his side’s midfield in the second half. The 24-year-old enjoyed an impressive 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign, making 84 possession recoveries and 56 interceptions. Prabhu is a rugged and proactive midfielder who excels at winning back the ball in key areas and moving his side forward quickly with his instinctive passes.

He can arguably be a better protector for Indian backline than the shaky Ayush Chhetri, and also add more mobility to the central areas for India. Prabhu can raise his side’s energy levels with his hard-working nature and can rattle the Hong Kong players with his unrelenting tackles and physicality.

3. Naorem Roshan Singh

Indian football team struggled to operate through the right wing in their recent clash against Thailand, with Asish Rai not really being able to dictate things on that side. He was caught in an awkward position for the second goal and struggled to create any major chances. Marquez could look to play someone like Naorem Roshan Singh in the Hong Kong clash to add some more energy and creativity down the right flank.

Roshan can easily play as a right-back and as a left-back, and boasts a never-say-die attitude that can benefit the Bleu Tigers. Roshan excels at winning key duels and regaining possession in key areas. He is also blessed with impressive creativity, boasting an accurate crossing technique that got him three assists in the 2024-25 ISL. Roshan can add more freshness through the Indian backline against Hong Kong and help his side take the fight to the hosts.

2. Edmund Lalrindika

Indian football team have looked quite toothless in front of goal in their last few games, resulting in them being unable to score against either Bangladesh or Thailand. The Blue Tigers have had chances, but they just haven’t had that lethality in their players converting the chances properly.

Marquez surprised many by playing Ashique Kuruniyan in a central role in the Thailand game and that experiment has to end against Hong Kong. Instead, he can opt to play a natural centre-forward and goalscorer in the new East Bengal man, Edmund Lalrindika. The 26-year-old is coming off an impressive 2024-25 season in which he scored five goals and provided six assists in 19 games for Inter Kashi in the I-League.

Lalrinidika is a mobile, versatile forward who can link up really nice with teammates and also create chances with his clever passes. Moreover, he is prolific in terms of finishing off chances in the box and can significantly raise India’s goal-scoring capabilities.

1. Naorem Mahesh Singh

Naorem Mahesh Singh remains one of the more creative players within the Indian football team camp, and he also boasts admirable adaptability in his playing style too. The East Bengal midfielder is versatile enough in being able to play in multiple roles, be it in a central midfield position, as a no.10 or even in the wide areas.

He has that midas touch in his game in being able to send teammates through on goal with clever passes or swing in inviting crosses or set-pieces into the middle. Mahesh can definitely be someone who can help unlock Hong Kong’s rigid defensive shape and cause mayhem in their backline.

He can help find his teammates in empty spaces in the final third and also create big chances from corners or free-kicks. Marquez needs to trust in Mahesh’s unique skillset against Hong Kong to help India flourish in their attacking approach and get a big win.

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