#INDTJK Talking Points: Was Sunil Chhetri under-utilised in the second half?

The second 45 minutes of the game saw the Indian skipper under severe pressure and with little supply of the ball.

Taking a lead within four minutes of kickoff through a Sunil Chhetri-penalty, India marked the beginning of their Hero Intercontinental Cup campaign against Tajikistan in the best possible way. Everything looked in control of the Blue Tigers as they doubled the lead, with the skipper netting another, minutes before half-time.

However, what followed in the second half was simply a horror show for the spectators at the EKA Arena by TransStadia, as they witnessed their team blow the two-goal lead to lose 2-4 at full-time.

Let’s have a look at the talking points of a hugely disappointing result for the Blue Tigers in the opening game of the tournament:

 

Watch: India fans' chants and songs ahead of the Tajikistan game

5. Was it always a gamble with Narender Gehlot in the starting lineup?

Seeing the name of a mere 18-year-old centre-back in the lineup itself came as a shocker for most, as India started the game with Narender Gehlot and Adil Khan as centre-halves.

Considering that the latter has not played as a centre-back for a while (apart from the King's Cup), a worrisom thought always existed at the back of the minds of supporters, whether or not the duo could contain the Tajikistan attack. As things turned out, the pair looked a little shaky right from the start, but the two-goal lead provided them some sort of confidence.

However, in the second half, Adil, who was till now pulling the strings of the defence all by himself, showing a no-nonsense attitude in the defensive half, suddenly began to look sloppy. This resulted in a lapse in the back four, as Narender continued to make mistakes along with Mandar Rao Dessai. 

Yet, the discussion brings us back to square one, where Narender was given the start. With Anas Edathodika, Sandesh Jhingan and Pronay Halder injured, it was always going to be a hard task for the Blue Tigers, but it would have probably been a different scenario if Igor Stimac had chosen the experienced Subhasish Bose to play alongside Adil.

4. Was Boboev’s equaliser the turning point in the game?

Two quickfire goals before the hour mark shuddered the Indian defence as all hell broke loose in the following minutes. Komron Tursunov, who had already scored Tajikistan’s opener in the 56th minute, delivered a perfectly-weighted cross into the box, surpassing both Narender as well as Adil to land at the feet of Boboev. As easy as his task was, Boboev coolly hit the back of the net with his first touch leaving Gurpreet Singh Sandhu helpless once again and gave a huge ray of hope for the visitors.

With that equaliser, India looked to have already lost the touch of the game and mistakes kept coming from the backline. Tajikistan were smart to take advantage of the situation and heaped more misery on the Indian youngsters, by scoring another couple of goals to kill off the game.

3. Was Chhetri under-utilised in the second half?

Time and again, Chhetri has been Mr. Dependable for India and was certainly at his best against Tajikistan. A cool Panenka-style penalty in the fourth minute and a clever strike before half-time by the skipper meant India went into the break with a two-goal lead. 

However, as the game progressed into the second half, Tajikistan put a lot of pressure on the new-look Indian defence and Chhetri's involvement in the game went on decreasing upto the point where he was not utilised at all.

Playing upfront, the talismanic striker hardly had any touches as compared to the first half, breaking his attacking streak. The 34-year-old had only one big chance in the second half, but he just couldn't keep his shot down as he missed a golden opportunity to seal his hat-trick and give the young Indian side some more confidence after they had conceded a goal.

In his defence, the skipper was wasted in the second 45, as his supply was completely cut off by Tajikistan and he was left helpless upfront.

Related: Sunil Chhetri overtakes Lionel Messi again, becomes second-highest active international goalscorer

2. Did substitutions change the course of the match in favour of Tajikistan?

After the scores were levelled, head coach Usmon Toshev brought on Nozim Babadzhanov to replace Rahmonali Barotov. Minutes later, Muhammadjon Rahimov scored again to complete the incredible comeback for Tajikistan and was also substituted off following that.

Toshev’s policy was simple, he went on introducing fresh legs as his side looked to have finally established domination over the hosts. Utilizing all of his substitutes before the 80th minute, the Uzbek took a gamble and it worked perfectly in his favour.

His timely introductions after the equaliser turned out to be very crucial for Tajikistan as they picked up a commendable win in their opening fixture.

Watch: Indian fans' chants ahead of the Blue Tigers' game against Tajikistan

1. Was it a mistake to substitute Amarjit Singh Kiyam at half time?

After an impressive display at the King’s Cup in Thailand last month, Amarjit Singh Kiyam was once again handed a start by Igor Stimac and the Indian Arrows skipper didn’t disappoint either. Although, it wasn’t a reflection of his performance against the Thais, the teenager was certainly playing his part as a holding midfielder.

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However, a surprise substitution at half-time saw Amarjit being replaced by Vinit Rai. Now, even though Rai has the capability to play the holding role, he required time to settle into the game. However, he was taken by surprise, as the opponents began looking too hot to handle in the second half.

Without a fault of his, the 21-year-old faced a lot of pressure, certainly too much for him to withstand, even though Sahal Abdul Samad was dropping back in support. Probably having Amarjit still on the pitch would have made the difference, as the youngster had already understood the knack to keep off the dangerous looking Tajikistan attack.