AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers: 5 Players who deserved to be called up for Indian national team camp

#2 Shubham Sarangi (Delhi Dynamos)

Shubham

Sarangi has previously represented the Delhi team at the U-14 National Championships. He was also a part of India U-17s preparatory camp prior to the U-17 World Cup. The youngster represented the junior team of Minerva Punjab F.C. in the 2015–16 I-League U18 and impressed scouts as he found the back of the net 8 times.

After acquiring the youngster, Delhi Dynamos had sent him to the Aspire Academy in Qatar to train for a few months in early 2018. Now, Shubham Sarangi has been given quite a few opportunities by Josep Gombau in the ongoing ISL. The Dynamos midfielder has got 342 minutes of playing time in 8 matches.

The 18-year-old was also given a start in the recent match against the then table toppers Bengaluru FC on 17 February. He was taken off at half time but tried his best to make an impact. Delhi Dynamos eventually turned the tables and won the game 3-2 after being 1-2 down at one point.

Sarangi averages 15.25 passes per game and has also helped out in the defence as he made 17 tackles and 7 blocks in the 8 matches he played.

The Vishakhapatnam-born player is naturally aggressive and the only downside of his game is that he can commit cheap fouls occasionally. Had he been called up for the AFC U-23 Championship, it would have been a huge boost of confidence for him.