India vs Jordan: 7 stars who have faded from the national team reckoning

India will take on Jordan on November 17th at the King Abdullah Stadium II in Amman. As usual, Stephen Constantine has left out many deserving candidates and has stuck to the same players and formula. However, that has not always been the case.

The Englishman has shown the doors to some players due to their poor form and injuries and their replacements took it with both the hands. These players were once a pivotal part of the senior team, but now they have petered out to oblivion.

Without any further ado, here are 7 stars who have faded from the national team reckoning:

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#7 Eugeneson Lyngdoh

It is unlikely that the former BFC midfielder can make it to the Indian squad for Asian Cup

Stephen Constantine wanted to change the style and philosophy of the Indian team the moment he took charge. He did so by handing Eugeneson a debut for the national team against Nepal in the World Cup Qualifiers. The attacking midfielder went on to make 17 appearances for India, albeit not scoring a single goal.

However, an untimely injury in a match against Jamshedpur FC in the fourth season of Hero ISL fissured the Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) of his left knee. He was on crutches for two months and was ruled out of the entire season.

Constantine continuously looked for his replacement in the crucial position and settled for Mohammad Rafique for once. However, owing to his poor performance, he was downgraded and Anirudh Thapa made the position his home since the Intercontinental Cup.

One does feel bad for the 2015 AIFF Player of the Year as he was the joint-costliest Indian player of the 2017-18 Indian Super League. This season, he has just played 20 minutes of football for ATK.

#6 Robin Singh

Robin Singh got axed by Constantine after his poor performance for both club and country

Before there was Sumeet Passi, the Indian football fans had Robin Singh to troll on social media. Tagged as the bodyguard of Sunil Chhetri, Stephen Constantine employed the 1.85m-tall muscular athlete in the #9 position. However, that plan proved futile on numerous occasions, and slowly he lost his place to Jeje Lalpekhlua in the starting eleven.

This season, he is with FC Pune City and has already bagged 2 assists in the 333 minutes played so far. The 28-year-old scored 5 goals for the country in 30 appearances, including the winning goal against Guam in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Robin Singh was dangerous in the air and could easily brush off Nepalese and Sri Lankan defenders. The Tata Football Academy product was last seen substituting Balwant Singh in India's encounter against Macau at the 2019 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

#5 CK Vineeth

CK Vineeth hasn't donned the national colours for a long time

Hailed as the next "big thing" in Kerala football after IM Vijayan, CK Vineeth made his debut for India in the 2-4 loss against Palestine, replacing Clifford Miranda late in the second half.

The Keralite started only two games for India in the starting eleven and mainly came on as a substitute in the second half to replace Jeje or Clifford. The 30-year-old's most notable contribution to India came in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier opener against Oman when he found the back of the net but was ruled offside later.

CK Vineeth was axed from the national squad following the Tri-Nations Cup in 2017. This season, he plies his trade for Kerala Blasters and has already scored twice. Udanta Singh has made the right wing his home, rendering Vineeth's chance of playing for India slender.

#4 Arnab Mondal

Arnab Mondal is struggling now to even find a place in the starting eleven of ATK

The state of West Bengal has produced some of the best defenders in Asia. The most notable of the lot being Sailen Manna and Gostha Pal. While the former refused an offer to play for Tottenham Hotspur, the latter was the first footballer to be honoured with the Padma Shri.

So, when Arnab Mondal was given his debut in the World Cup Qualifiers against Oman following his spirited performances with East Bengal, the expectations were always high. Moreover, he was even made the captain of the side in the reverse fixture against Oman.

But, Anas Edathodika rose through the ranks and slowly fizzled him out from the national setup. He last donned the Indian jersey against Nepal in the 2-0 friendly win, coming off as a substitute for Sandesh Jhingan. This season, he has not played a single minute of football for ATK.

#3 Alwyn George

The former Pailan Arrows midfielder isn't getting playing time now

A lot was expected from Holicharan Narzary and Alwyn George in the future as they were the shining stars in the initial Pailan Arrows setup. Narzary alongside Narayan Das, Pritam Kotal, and Pronay Halder feature regularly for India whereas others like Seimenlen Doungel, Dhanpal Ganeshan, Tirthankar Sarkar, and Shouvik Ghosh are pivotal players for their ISL and I-League clubs.

However, the Nagpur-born midfielder failed to live up to the hype. Former coach Wim Koevermans showed a lot of faith in him and he made 6 appearances under him. However, when Constantine became the gaffer, he was only handed two appearances, that too as a substitute against the lower ranked Laos in the Asia Cup Qualifiers.

India has a lot of worthy midfielders to take the spot in case Anirudh Thapa and Pronay Halder falter. Sadly, Alwyn George isn't one of them.

#2 Rino Anto

Rino Anto too is struggling to find his form back

Santosh Trophy used to be one of the most important tournaments in India. Moreover, based on their performance in the aforementioned tournament, players were called up to the national team earlier. But, since the inception of the NFL- later rebranded as the I-League, and ISL, the tournament has taken a back seat.

However, Bengaluru FC scouts took note of Rino Anto who took the Kerala team to the finals of the tournament in 2013. The Keralite featured regularly in the right back and played a staggering 80 matches for the club between 2013 and 2017.

After missing out on the international scene for nine years, Rino Anto made his way to the playing eleven in the 1-2 loss against Oman. Slowly but steadily, Pritam Kotal took his position in the playing eleven.

India does have a concern regarding the right back position as there are no other alternatives for Pritam. However, given the poor form and little playing time he gets, it is highly unlikely that Rino Anto would make it to the national team again.

#1 Subrata Pal

Subrata Pal is performing well for Jamshedpur

While India is having a crisis in the striking and right-back position, one place where the country has no worries whatsoever is the goalkeeping position. Before India had Gurpreet to bail out the Indian defence, they had Subrata Pal.

The current Jamshedpur FC custodian graduated from the famed Tata FA Academy and also had a stint with then Danish Superliga side FC Vestsjaelland in 2015. The last time India had participated in the AFC Asian Cup in 2011, Subrata performed brilliantly. His exploits under the bar earned him the nickname of 'Spiderman' from the Australian media.

Subrata Pal last represented India in the 1-2 loss against Guam on 16th June 2015. Since then, he has been either on the bench or not included in the squad. With all due to respect to the legend, there has been a lot of prolific goalkeepers coming through the ranks. Amrinder Singh is one of them and if Gurpreet is off-colours, he should be the one to take up the charge.