India vs China: 5 players who missed out on Indian national team call-up

India will take on China for the first time in 21 years in an international friendly at 5.05 pm IST this Saturday at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium near Shanghai.

The match will provide a reality check for India ahead of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which will be held in UAE in January.

While many may say that this fixture is just another international friendly in the calendar year, Stephen Constantine and the boys are gunning for a win. India have never beaten China in 17 appearances and have recorded 12 defeats throughout history.

Head coach Constantine announced the 22-member squad to face China early last week. Since then, there have been many questions over the team's selection process, given that there's a lot riding on this clash.

A lot of supporters felt that undeserving players were given a spot in the team, which saw a certain young, dynamic and deserving players miss out on the Indian team call-up.

Sportskeeda lists out five players who missed out on the Indian national team call-up.

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#5 Jerry Lalrinzuala

After his outstanding performance in the opening matches of the Indian Super League (ISL) for Chennaiyin FC, most of the football fans in India were expecting his name to feature on the Indian national team squad. Jerry Lalrinzuala, the Mizoram wonder boy, is young and also small in stature. But we have all witnessed how he can create havoc in the opponents' half.

Jerry is on top of the most emerging players' list, but did not earn a call-up to the Indian squad, where he could have been given a chance ahead of left-back Pritam Kotal. Some may argue that he's still 20 and his chance will come. But these are the kind of games that would give a budding international star some exposure.

#4 Jackichand Singh

Jackichand Singh now plays for FC Goa

Does anybody remember this man from India's 6-1 win against Laos in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers? Jackichand Singh is the same guy who came on as a substitute in that match and provided three assists to put India in a dominating position.

Jackichand made his International debut for India in 2015 but hasn't quite managed to impress head coach Stephen Constantine. Over the last few months, his selection in the team has always been subjective. The friendly against China would have been a good opportunity to give Jackichand Singh a chance to shine.

#3 Laldanmawia Ralte

Laldanmawia Ralte, who won the I-League with Aizawl FC, now plays for East Bengal FC

I-League sensation and East Bengal FC star Ralte was a shocking miss from Stephen Constantine's squad. The 25-year-old midfielder has been putting in some noteworthy performances, which should have earned him a spot in the Indian Team.

However, the selection of Rowllin Borges, who hasn't had consistent performances over Ralte, has definitely raised a few eyebrows.

#2 Manvir Singh

Manvir Singh (centre) of FC Goa (Image: ISL)

All those who watched the SAFF Championship 2018 would know that Manvir Singh has been one of India's top performing forwards. Scoring 3 goals in the SAFF Championship, Manvir had many fans rooting for him to be a part of the Indian squad.

Several questions have been raised about Sumeet Passi's selection in the squad over Manvir Singh. When compared, Manvir has not only netted more goals than Passi but is also far more effective in front of goal.

Passi has been a regular under Constantine even despite his below-par performances, while an effective forward like Manvir has been left out.

#1 Raynier Fernandes

Raynier Fernandes of Mumbai City FC (Image: ISL)

If you have been following the latest season of the ISL, you would know that there is just one name that is surfacing on the list of most promising players. Raynier Fernandes has not yet made his International debut but will soon be one of the prospects for the future of Indian Football.

Raynier came on as a substitute in Mumbai City FC's opening game of the ISL against Jamshedpur FC and in no time, we saw him bring about a complete change in Mumbai's approach to the game.

Apart from creating so many chances, we saw the youngster from Mumbai play as an important cog in the centre of the field. He was one of the better performers in Mumbai's 0-2 defeat and this earned him a spot in the Playing XI for the next game against Kerala Blasters on Oct 5.

Many fans were expecting Raynier to receive his maiden call-up to the Indian team but that didn't happen.