Top 7 Indian youngsters who deserved call-up for Panama, Brazil & Uruguay friendlies

Khalid Jamil announced a 26-member squad for the upcoming NT camp on August 31.

While Indian football fans across the country debated whether the Indian U-23 side and the senior team should be sent to feature in the 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup and play in the Brazil friendly, respectively, or vice versa, the AIFF suffered a setback as the Indian U-23 side was not allowed to participate in the ASEAN Cup due to various complications.

To their credit, the AIFF have carried on and managed to arrange three high-profile friendlies at home during the same September-October international window. The Blue Tigers will face 5th-ranked Brazil, 20th-ranked Uruguay and 44th-ranked Panama over the course of the international break.

However, fans across the country continued to argue that Khalid Jamil should give opportunities to the stars of the Indian U-23 side who have impressed over the past 12-18 months, instead of some of the senior national team players who have been given numerous opportunities to prove themselves but have continued to fall short time and time again.

Khalid Jamil has aligned with that thought process to an extent, as he has excluded several senior players from the previous squad. Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Roshan Singh, Rahul Bheke, Vishal Kaith and Nikhil Poojary are among the players who have been omitted from the squad for the upcoming friendlies. India’s captain and most experienced defender, Sandesh Jhingan, has also been left out of the squad.

However, not all the underperforming players have been removed, and there are still a few senior players who continue to be part of the squad. This makes Khalid’s approach to these three games rather confusing. Is it a complete revamp and a shift towards a younger core of players, or just a partial revamp with a few favourites continuing to retain their places?

Let’s take a look at seven Indian youngsters who deserved to be at the national team camp after their impressive performances, either for their respective clubs in the ISL or with the Indian U-23 side.

Joseph Sunny – Sporting Club Delhi

Joseph Sunny has been one of the best and most lethal forwards in Indian football in 2026, dating back to the start of the 2025/26 Indian Super League (ISL) season. The Sporting Club Delhi FC attacker registered five goal contributions last season and has continued his fine form heading into the new campaign.

In the quarterfinals of the 2026 Durand Cup, Joseph scored a brace to spark SC Delhi’s comeback against FC Raengdai. Although Manvir Singh has scored five goals in the Durand Cup this year, he has already had numerous opportunities with the national team in the past but has failed to consistently make the most of them.

At 30, there is not much of a future for Manvir in the NT colours, if we are being honest.

It would have been brilliant to see someone like Joseph running down the flanks with his electric pace and trickery, drifting into central areas and finishing clinically.

Ebindas Yesudasan – Kerala Blasters FC

Although there hasn’t been much action from Ebindas since the end of the 2025/26 ISL season, the same can be said about several other players in the current squad. The Kerala Blasters midfielder was at the top of his game last season, providing five assists, the joint-most in the league alongside Miguel.

One of India’s biggest problems over the last two years has been scoring goals and the inability to create clear-cut opportunities through central areas.

With Sahal Abdul Samad the only natural creative midfielder in the squad, Ebindas could have been picked to provide cover for Sahal and potentially be used as a substitute to inject some much-needed attacking flair.

His threat from set-pieces could also have been an added asset, especially against top teams where dead-ball situations could become a major source of goalscoring opportunities.

Mohammed Aimen – Sporting Club Delhi

One of the best and most exciting up-and-coming wingers in the country, Mohammed Aimen is an exceptionally agile player with quick feet that allow him to glide past defenders with his dribbling ability.

His pace on the counterattack and ability to cut inside and shoot from long range could have provided India with a crucial attacking outlet, especially against top teams that are likely to push their defensive line higher against the Blue Tigers.

Aimen has been in fine form so far, and his match fitness would also be considerably better compared to some of the other players in the squad, having featured in the 2026 Durand Cup. The former Kerala Blasters FC winger registered a goal and two assists during the tournament.

Did he deserve a chance over Ashique Kuruniyan, who was omitted from the last squad and has played no competitive football since then? Absolutely.

Lalremtluanga Fanai – Bengaluru FC

Fanai, who came very close to being called up to the Indian national team squad for the 2026 Unity Cup as a replacement for the unreleased Mohun Bagan midfielders, suffered heartbreak when his call-up failed to materialise due to visa issues.

Fanai, a star of the Indian U-23 midfield under Naushad Moosa alongside Hnamte and Ayush Chhetri, excels in a deep midfield role, where he is excellent at recycling possession and breaking up opposition plays. He can also operate in a box-to-box role, with enough technical ability to retain possession and pick out the right forward passes in the final third.

He registered four assists in the 2025/26 ISL season while playing in a deeper midfield role and could have been picked ahead of the likes of Farukh, who is clearly not a natural midfielder capable of operating in a double pivot.

Fanai is also a strong leader, and his commanding presence could have come in handy for a team that has lost several experienced leaders such as Bheke, Jhingan and Chhangte.

David Lalhlansanga – East Bengal FC

David, the star boy and super-sub of the East Bengal side that went on to win the AFC Champions League Two qualifier and the 2026 Durand Cup, is finally getting regular game time at club level, thanks to Habas’ faith in the youngster in the absence of a foreign striker.

With a goal and an assist against Al-Arabi and another goal in the Durand Cup, David’s confidence must be at an all-time high. This would have been the perfect opportunity for Khalid Jamil to call him up to the national team setup and give him a chance to show what he is capable of.

Lalrinliana Hnamte – Sporting Club Delhi

Hnamte, the Indian U-23 captain who made a surprise exit from Chennaiyin FC and joined Sporting Club Delhi ahead of the 2026/27 season, has once again been overlooked by the senior national team.

Whenever Naushad Moosa’s India U-23 side takes the field, Hnamte acts as the orchestrator in the middle of the park, consistently bringing energy and tenacity to the midfield. He has also been in red-hot form this season, registering four goal contributions (3G+1A) in five starts, including a brace against Jamshedpur FC in the opening game.

Hnamte is not just a midfielder who keeps things ticking in the middle of the park; he can also make late runs into the box and score crucial goals.

Suhail Ahmad Bhat – Mohun Bagan SG

Suhail Ahmad Bhat, a full-time player for India U-23 and the Mohun Bagan reserves and a part-time, or, at most times, no-(game)time, player for the Mohun Bagan senior team, has consistently stepped up and performed whenever he has worn the Indian tricolor.

He has already featured for the Indian senior team in the past but has never been given a consistent run of games. He has scored eight times for the Indian U-23 side, showcasing his lethal abilities in front of goal.

This season, he has scored six times in the CFL 2025/26 Division and twice in the 2026 Durand Cup.

Would you rather continue giving opportunities to Manvir and Rahim Ali, or would you rather give Suhail Ahmad Bhat a proper run? You know the answer.

Final Verdict

While Khalid Jamil has made some changes to the stubborn team-selection approach he has stuck to over the past few international windows, where he consistently preferred experienced but underperforming players, he has started giving more youngsters an opportunity in the current national team setup.

Som Kumar, Ricky Meetei, Pramveer Singh, Macarton Nickson, Ricky Shabong and Mohammad Sanan, it is good to see a number of youngsters either getting promoted to the senior setup or being given a continued run with the national team. Khalid Jamil deserves appreciation for making these bold calls.

However, he could have gone one step further by dropping players such as Farukh, Ashique, Manvir and Rahim as well, and giving more opportunities to youngsters who have excelled with the Indian U-23 side and deserved a chance with the senior team.

Muhammad Ajsal, Muhammad Suhail, Tomba Singh, Ayush Chhetri and Parthib Gogoi are among the other youngsters who deserved an opportunity with the senior team, especially given that the current crop of players have clearly struggled to produce their best performances in the national team colors.

India’s 26-member squad for the Sep-Oct international window:

Goalkeepers: Albino Gomes, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Som Kumar

Defenders: Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bijoy Varghese, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Jay Gupta, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Farukh Choudhary, Lalengmawia Ralte, Macarton Nickson, Mohammed Sanan, Ricky Shabong, Sahal Abdul Samad

Forwards: Edmund Lalrindika, Irfan Yadwad, Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Ryan Williams, Vikram Partap Singh.

India’s 2026 September-October International window schedule:

September 26: India vs Panama, Bengaluru

October 3: India vs Brazil, Kolkata

October 6: India vs Uruguay, Kolkata

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