SAFF Suzuki Cup Talking Points: Is Anirudh Thapa India's next big thing?

The Blue Tigers looked promising against their neighbours in their tournament opener.

The defending champions of the SAFF Cup, India took on underdogs Sri Lanka in the first game of Group B of the tournament on Wednesday evening. The Blue Tigers won the match 2-0 with Ashique Kuruniyan and Lallianzuala Chhangte finding themselves on the score-sheet. While India looked sharp in moments, the team failed to bury all of their chances.

We at Khel Now take a look at the five takeaways from the game:

Watch: India 2-0 Sri Lanka highlights

5. India will have to be more clinical

Despite going into halftime with a lead, the scoreline was hardly a reflection of what had taken place on the pitch. Chhangte and Kuruniyan both saw early chances fall to them which they squandered. Constantine has named a very inexperienced squad for the tournament, giving them a chance to prove themselves before the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

With that said, the youngsters will have to show their consistency and reliability, if they hope to feature for the Blue Tigers in the UAE next year.

4. Anirudh Thapa’s prior experience has helped him to become a leader on this occassion

The 20-year-old midfielder oozed class with passes that he fizzed out to the wings, while also breaking up play and providing an extra layer of protection to his back four. The Chennaiyin FC youngster has been knocking at the door of the senior side for some time and if he keeps up his level of performance, he could see his wish of starting for India at the Asian Cup come to fruition.

3. Sri Lanka need to step up their game against the Maldives

If Sri Lanka are to have any hopes of making the semi-finals of the competition, they will have to  step up their performance against the Maldives. The Lankans spent a majority of the game in their own half and relied on the odd counter-attack to get at India, a tactic that failed to work all game long.

Goalkeeper Sujan Perera was the Lankans' standout player. The 26-year-old pulled off a series of impressive saves to keep the score respectable for his team. India had 18 shots on goal in contrast to Sri Lanka's four. 

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2. Chhangte and Kuruniyan were the bright sparks for India

The Indian wingers were a thorn in the side of the Sri Lankan side all game long with continous runs through the channels. Both players found themselves on the score-sheet with well-taken goals in either half. The duo managed to confuse the Lankan defense by switching wings in the middle of the first half, which was rewarded with the opening goal.

Chhangte and Kuruniyan could both have extended their side's lead even further as they constantly found themselves in goalscoring positions. 

1. India can repeat 2009 heroics

Back in 2009, the India entered the SAFF Cup with their U-23 side which did not feature several of their regular stars. The youngsters did the country proud by winning the competition. 

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Today, nine years down the line, history could be repeating itself with a very similar young squad entering the tournament and impressing in their first outing. 

India will next take on the Maldives on 9th September in Dhaka.