India vs Tajikistan Player Ratings: Pramveer Singh and Bijoy Varghese impress on debut, while Nikhil Barla and Ricky Shabong disappoint
Vikram Partap scored the solitary goal for the Blue Tigers
The Indian National Football Team settled for a 1-1 draw against the Tajikistan National Football Team on the 9th of June 2026, at the Hisor Central Stadium, Tajikistan, as part of their international friendly fixture of the FIFA window.
In the first half, the Indian side demonstrated a relatively better performance as they kept the intensity of the game high. This paid dividends as India opened the scoring courtesy of Vikram Partap, who tapped in a loose ball that came off Farukh Choudhary’s free kick to break the deadlock.
However, as the game came to its decisive phase, India resorted to an all-out defensive mode, which backfired as Vikram committed a handball offence, gifting the opponents with a penalty, which they converted with ease to snatch the win from India and share the spoils.
Here are the India Player Ratings for their match against Tajikistan.
India Player Ratings
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – 5/10
Gurpreet was solid between the sticks for the Blue Tigers. Even though he was not really put to the test for a vast part of the match for India, whenever the team demanded his contributions, he remained solid and made some good saves and blocks, along with providing some good distributions. Was just a spectator when the opponents scored off a penalty.
Akash Mishra – 5/10
Was decent in the wings. Defended efficiently when the opponents tried to attack from the flanks. Did pretty well in terms of physicality. But in some moments, it felt like Mishra lost concentration, which put the team under some pressure.
Sandesh Jhingan – 5.5/10
Jhingan, as usual, remained sharp in the backline. Made some good blocks and last-ditch tackles to ensure that the opponents did not go past him.
Marshalled the entire backline and stayed alert whenever there were defensive lapses or when Bijoy stepped up into the midfield.
Bijoy Varghese – 6/10
Bijoy, on his full debut, gave a good physical fight to the opponents. Communicated well and, along with Jhingan, he made a pretty compact backline, which the opponents found hard to break past.
Dominated in the aerial balls and was solid overall.
Nikhil Barla – 3/10
Was very slow in defence and was sloppy during the early minutes. Almost gave up a penalty, which was a potential red-card offence, in the 12th minute, but was luckily saved.
Lacked game awareness and did not maintain the line effectively, which left space vacant for the opponents to pounce on. Looked out of position and struggled to match the intensity of the match.
Pramveer – 6/10
Displayed his technical abilities in the midfield and had a good full debut in the national team. Dispossessed the opponents a good number of times. Regained possession for the team, made some good passes, and dominated the midfield to a large extent.
Made some good interceptions and arguably was one of the best players for the Blue Tigers on the pitch.
Ricky Shabong – 4/10
Ricky was caught out multiple times early in the game and gifted possession to the opponents in a couple of instances.
Went out of position multiple times, did not drop well in the midfield, and lacked passing range throughout the minutes played.
Farukh Choudhary – 5/10
Farukh looked relatively decent in the match. Delivered some good free kicks, and one of them, after a fumble from the keeper, was converted by Vikram Partap, who provided the Blue Tigers with the advantage. Did well to beat the Tajik players and navigate his way to the final third.
However, when it came to marking the opponents, Farukh was seen struggling.
Mohammed Sanan – 4/10
Made some offensive initiatives, but most of them were wasteful. When Sanan dropped back to help the team defensively, he struggled, as most of his clearances again went to waste.
Committed multiple unwanted fouls, which gave the opponents a good number of free kicks. Overall, Sanan did not have the best hour on the pitch for the Blue Tigers.
Rahim Ali – 5/10
Rahim was unable to create a significant impact for the team in this match. Was decent in passing, pressed pretty well, but when it came to his contributions in the final third, it remained relatively minimal.
Later in the second half, when India went all out defensive with a five-man backline, Rahim was substituted off the pitch.
Vikram Partap Singh – 6/10
Vikram was active in the game, making some speedy moves and pressing. Kept his eyes on the ball, stayed alert and tapped in the fumbled ball from the keeper to break the deadlock and provided the team the vital lead. Tried to showcase his physicality in the wings, but was beaten during a couple of instances.
Tracked back well and helped the team defensively whenever Nikhil Barla was caught off guard. Unfortunately, in the final minutes, Vikram committed a handball offence on the edge of the box, gifting the opponents a penalty, which they scored and equalised.
Substitutes
Rahul Bheke – 5/10
Introduced late in the second half in place of Rahim Ali, but failed to make a significant impact and endured a difficult outing.
Nikhil Poojary – 5/10
Another player introduced for a forward late in the second half, replacing Sanan. He struggled to make an impact and endured a disappointing outing.
Edmund Lalrindika – N/A
Macarton Nickson – N/A
Lallianzuala Chhangte – N/A
Naorem Roshan -N/A
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Niranjan R Prabhu is an Economics student from Kochi with an enduring passion for Indian football, especially as a devoted Kerala Blasters FC fan — a club he considers part of his life. Beyond the game, he writes on culture, Indian economic development, and sustainability, always eager to explore ideas in depth. His days are a balancing act between college, writing, and travel.