Top 5 India U23 players to look out for against Tajikistan & Kyrgyz Republic

India U23 team have been camping in Kolkata since June 1.

The India U23 national football team will finally be back in action as they travel to Tajikistan for a two-match tour in June 2025. They will be facing off against the Tajikistan U-23 national team on June 18 before also facing off against the Kyrgyz Republic on June 21 at the Hisor Central Stadium, Hisor.

This is being organised as preparation for India’s participation in the 2026 U-23 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers that will happen in September 2025. It will also be the first time that fans will get to see Naushad Moosa guiding the Blue Colts since taking charge of the team.

Moosa has selected a pretty strong U-23 team for these two games, including some players to have debuted for the India national team and Indian Super League (ISL) regulars. Here we look at the five India U 23 players to look out for in the upcoming games.

5. Vibin Mohanan

The Kerala Blasters midfielder is likely to play a key role in the Blue Colts’ midfield line because of his experience levels in the ISL. He made 20 appearances for the Blasters in the 2024-25 ISL, producing an assist and also making 100 possession recoveries. Mohanan is a technically adept midfielder who can play as a no.6 or no.8 with relative ease. He will need to be at his energetic best to help India hold their own in the midfield battle.

The youngster needs to be smart with his game-reading and pressing to win back the ball in key areas and also prolific with his forward passes to help his teammate burst forward in numbers on the counter-attacks. He will need to work hard to help India U23 team stay strong in the midfield battles and take the fight to their opponents.

4. Parthib Gogoi

Parthib Gogoi is set to make his debut for the India youth teams after being selected by Moosa for the Tajikistan tour. It’s been a well-deserved call-up for the NorthEast United forward, who had five goal contributions (two goals, three assists) in 21 ISL games last season. The 22-year-old had also created 16 chances and managed a decent 11.76% goal conversion rate for the Highlands, excelling in Juan Pedro Benali’s system.

Gogoi will now look to excel at the international level and has some skills that can trouble the opposition defenders. He will look to use his blistering pace to trouble defenders and move into the key areas. He’ll be a special threat on counter-attacks, but Gogoi’s smart positioning and ability to sniff out chances can help him get at the end of chances to enhance India’s goal threat.

3. Abhishek Singh

Abhishek Singh is coming off a relatively impressive June with the India senior team as he featured in both their recent game. He made his international debut for the Blue Tigers and was arguably one of the better players of the two losses to Thailand and Hong Kong. He will be one of the more experienced players for the India U23 team in the Tajikistan tour and needs to lead by example.

Singh had a solid 2024-25 ISL campaign, helping Punjab FC keep a few clean sheets, making 141 possession recoveries and winning 86 duels in 22 games. He will need to be at his proactive best in the upcoming U-23 games to give his side an edge in both games. Singh has to be sharp and sturdy with his defensive work, making key challenges to neutralise the opponents’ threat on his side and raise his side’s defensive stubbornness.

2. Korou Singh

Korou Singh was one of the breakout stars of the 2024-25 ISL campaign and performed at a pretty high level for Kerala Blasters. He managed six goal contributions (two goals, four assists) in 17 appearances for the Blasters, creating 15 chances in 17 games. The 18-year-old is a highly talented winger who loves to trouble defneders with his brilliant dribbling ability and tendency to dart into the empty spaces in the final third.

Korou could play a key role in helping India U23 get some big results in this Tajikistan tour. He needs to be decisive with his final product, which means being accurate with his crosses and also nailing his final third passes to teammates. He needs to be brave in taking on defenders and getting into more goal-scoring positions to enhance his goal threat and help India take the fight to their opponents.

1. Suhail Bhat

Suhail Bhat received his debut for the India national team against Thailand, after enjoying an impressive 2024-25 season with Mohun Bagan. The 20-year-old forward was impressive in the cup competitions for Mohun Bagan last season, scoring four goals in five cup games for them. He scored twice for them in the Super Cup in as many games, showing his qualities in front of goal.

Suhail will need to be at his clinical best in the final third to help India U-23 oust their opponents in the upcoming matches. He must use his clever off-the-ball movement to outwit the defenders and nail his positioning to get at the end of chances. Moreover, Bhat needs to be ruthless in finishing off chances emphatically to give his side an edge over the others.

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.