Even though India have won just the one game – against Guam – a bunch of our players have seriously impressed on the international stage. Stephen Constantine has almost always picked an experienced side with one or two youngsters in the mix to provide that unpredictability on the ball.
Pitted against the likes of Iran and Oman, India were always going to find it harder to really challenge the teams and progress to the further rounds of the FIFA World Cup yet we tried and tried every match not putting in performances that would suggest we'd long given up on the task at hand.
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With a win against Turkmenistan later today, India can hope to qualify for the playoff rounds of the AFC Cup and a with the boost of a few senior players coming back into the squad, India will really have to give it everything fight for the spot.
Here's looking at the five players who have impressed us in the qualifying round – and capable of taking India to the next level.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Once India’s backup shot-stopper, Gurpreet has matured into a fine keeper known for his reflexes and humongous frame. Coach, Constantine, eventually had to replace Subrata with Singh due to the latter’s consistent performances for club and country.
Once criticised for going incognito in crucial matches, the twenty-four-year-old now commands his box with extreme confidence and discipline. Singh has been dominant in his approach when defending set pieces too and isn’t afraid to come out and punch the ball. His stint at Norwegian club, Stabaek definitely seems to have aided him in his development.
Gurpreet was India’s standout performer in their recent encounter against Asian giants Iran. The towering shot-stopper is proving to be an indispensable part of this new looking Indian team.
Sunil Chhetri
Easily India’s best player at the World Cup qualifiers, Chhetri on numerous occasions single-handedly guided the Blue Tigers to respectable outcomes. The diminutive striker has scored four goals in eight appearances, making him India’s top scorer at the qualifiers.
His brace against Nepal was one of the few positives in India’s dismal run. He managed to get on the score sheet against Oman and Guam as well, thereby restoring some much-needed confidence among the Indian supporters. More importantly, Chhetri seems to have turned a new page and regularly involves himself as a creator too when India is in possession.
His partnership with the likes of Udanta Singh will be interesting to watch when he returns to full fitness.
Robin Singh
The twenty-five-year-old had a subpar outing at the qualifiers considering the standards he sets for himself. Robin managed to score only a solitary goal in eight appearances. But that goal against Guam proved to be instrumental for his side as the Blue Citizens registered their first and only victory thus ensuring his side don’t end up winless.
It’s not just goals that Robin guarantees. He ensures he causes the centre backs ample problems in the opposition box and holds up play extremely well. He regularly showed his link up skills throughout the qualifiers. While his partnership with Chhetri was well known, his ability to bring in the Indian full-backs into play came to the fore this time around.
He ensured India used their flanks efficiently and consistently.
Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje played a crucial role in his side’s recent SAFF Cup championship victory. He scored three goals in four appearances. While he couldn’t maintain his standards at the qualifiers, Lalpekhula worked tirelessly in attack as well as defense.
With his side having minimal possession in numerous matches, he knew he’d have to do a lot of chasing off the ball which he did without any qualms. Jeje was seen tracking back almost every time the opposition had the ball.
He’ll be hoping he can do a better job for team India in the final third when making those crucial passes. The twenty-five-year-old managed to get on the score sheet only once in seven appearances against Turkmenistan. Unfortunately for him, that too went in vain as they lost that match 2-1.
Sandesh Jhingan
The final player in this list and the only defender to make it, the versatile Sandesh would have been content with his performances at the qualifiers. Still only twenty-two, he reads the game extremely well and has consistently exhibited his leadership skills at the back.
While the coach may feel he needs to curb his attacking instincts a bit, Sandesh seems adept at carrying the ball forward from the back line, thus ensuring an additional player in attack for the Indians. Constantine’s men have conceded a whopping sixteen goals seven matches but you can’t really pin it down to the defense alone.
This Indian side has hardly played together and one can definitely expect better performances from them in the near future.
